Colorado Places New Limitations on Edibles

By New Frontier Analysts

Colorado has passed yet another regulation aimed at controlling the edibles market. House Bill 1436 sets restrictions on what shapes edibles manufactures can mold their products into. The purpose of the law is to “prohibit the production and sale of edible marijuana products that resemble the form of a human, animal, or fruit.”

The listed shapes are seen as being marketed towards kids, in a similar to having candy cigarettes sold under the same brand names as real cigarettes. This bill passed with bipartisan support in the state legislature, and is not the first regulatory bill effecting the dibbles market in Colorado.

Previously two other laws have been enacted that required child resistant packaging, 10 mg incremental THC doses, and a THC warning label on packaging. Lawmakers hope that these packing changes and warnings will help to cut back on accidental ingestion by minors and cannabis tourists overconsuming and having to go to the emergency room.

There has been a rise in the number of calls to poison control centers and emergency room visits linked to minors accidentally ingesting cannabis. This upward trend in young children, most between the ages of three and seven years old, being sent to the emergency room after unknowingly eating cannabis infused products has alarmed law makers and citizens alike.

This law is worth paying attention not only because of its immediate impacts on edible sales in Colorado, but also because Colorado is seen as the test laboratory for cannabis market regulations since it was one of the first states to legalize adult-use cannabis.

Other state will likely follow Colorado’s lead, especially since drug related concerns are often connected with protecting children. However, many in the cannabis industry in Colorado feel that this new regulation has been passed too soon after other restrictions were adopted. These dissenters claim that the previous regulations have not been given adequate time to take effect, and that perhaps this most recent regulation was unnecessary.

New Frontier Analysts

Our data scientists drill deep with rigorous analytics to provide insight into key trends and market opportunities. We track the state of cannabis and its regulation in all major legal markets.