Colorado legalizes online cannabis sales

Colorado's governor has signed a bill allowing online cannabis sales in his state, after more than 10 years of legalization.

The text, voted on and then signed, deletes the part of the law that explicitly forbade the sale of cannabis over the Internet, while adding regulations to allow online commerce.

Adults aged 21 and over will still have to physically collect their cannabis products from the store, but they will be able to view and purchase their cannabis online before going to the store.

The bill signed by Democratic Governor Jared Polis calls for retailers to verify the customer's name and age at the time of online purchase, and for this information to match the identification the customer provides when picking up the products.

In addition, the retailer will have to provide buyers with «digital versions of all warning or educational materials that the cannabis retail store is required to display and provide on its licensed premises». Customers will have to «acknowledge receipt» of these documents before completing their purchase.

«This bill is primarily aimed, from my perspective, at reducing cash in the cannabis industry, which is extremely important, because when there's a lot of cash in an industry, it can lead to disturbing results, including theft,» said Republican Senator Kevin Van Winkle at last month's plenary session.

«This exposes them to a considerable amount of potential theft, and other things.»

State legislators are also hoping that the Congress will finally resolve financial problems and public safety issues specific to the cannabis industry by passing bipartisan legislation Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act during the current session.