Back-and-Forth in Colorado Ends in Pro-Hemp Compromise

In cooperation with the Colorado Hemp Association, the Realm of Caring, and several prominent CBD brands in the state, the U.S. Hemp Roundtable has succeeded in convincing Colorado legislators to amend SB 22-205, a bill aimed at curtailing deceptive and unsafe practices arising in the Colorado hemp and marijuana industries.

Though all parties were in full support of the motivation behind the bill from the start—to prevent the “growing issue of unsafe intoxicating compounds being sold unregulated at retail under the hemp name,” as the US Hemp Roundtable put it—its original form presented a number of needlessly prohibitive restrictions that would affect legitimate hemp retailers in the state.

As such, the Roundtable and partners worked diligently to direct Governor Jared Polis and key legislators toward a compromise that would empower the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment to create restrictions against “chemically converted and synthetically derived intoxicating THC isomers,” such as delta-8 THC.

Also included in the newly amended bill is a provision that calls for a task force of hemp industry members (representatives from hemp growers, consumers, manufacturers, laboratories, and more) as well as government personnel to assist in new rule recommendations targeting these unsafe compounds.

Finally, another key provision in the bill empowers the Colorado Attorney General—both legally and with a $600,000 fund—to enforce these rules against deceptive labeling and manufacturing practices throughout the state for consumer and industry protection. 

As of the Roundtable’s reporting on May 13th, Governor Jared Polis will soon see SB 22-205 on his desk, and he is expected to sign it.

The Roundtable thanked its supporters for assisting in this effort: “Collaboration and persistence on this important issue ultimately won the day, demonstrating the critical role you continue to play when it comes to the latest topics in the industry.”