Colorado prepares backup plan if Trump attacks recreational cannabis

Donald Trump and his administration remain vague, or even ambiguous, regarding recreational cannabis. To prepare for a possible total ban on recreational cannabis at the federal level, Colorado officials are developing a contingency plan to preserve their progress in this area.

Transitioning from recreational to medical use

In the event of an attack by the Trump administration on recreational cannabis, Colorado plans to change the licensing status of dispensaries. Businesses in the recreational market would then all be recognized as medical cannabis dispensaries. Every single gram of cannabis would become a medical product and would therefore require a prescription from a healthcare professional to be purchased.

Government Commitment

If this scenario were to occur, Colorado would be defying the federal government. However, it would also have to dig into its own coffers and would see its tax revenue decline by approximately $100 million per year. In fact, recreational cannabis is taxed at an average rate of 17.9 %, while medical cannabis is taxed at approximately 2.9 %.

With this change in status, Colorado authorities hope to protect cannabis entrepreneurs from raids by federal agencies.

 »If there’s a change in federal law, I think people will want to stay in the business. They’ve made major investments,» says Republican Senator Tim Neville, a supporter of this preventive legislation. «We need to be able to repurpose these products for medical use so they can continue to be sold. We need to show that this industry has a future, no matter what happens.»

Democratic Senator Lois Court opposes this measure: »It will be difficult to change the tax system, and we will have trouble meeting our investment budgets.» For example, the $40 million reinvestment in education comes solely from additional taxes on recreational cannabis.

Medical cannabis is not legal at the federal level. If the government wishes to ban all substances containing cannabis—whether for medical or recreational use—it can do so.

Other prevention efforts across the country

The others American states that have legalized cannabis They, too, are anticipating a possible ban. In Oregon, Alaska, and Washington State, cannabis retailers are specifically prohibited from storing customer data in a database. Among other things, this data would make it possible to target cannabis users. In California, local authorities have stated that they will not assist federal authorities in cannabis-related cases under any circumstances.

Via The Cannabist