Tag Archives: Colorado Supreme Court

Colorado, Oregon

Edibles in Oregon Have Potency Limits

Colorado Petitioners Want THC Limits, Too

When marijuana cookies and candies began to sell in Oregon’s recreational marijuana market on June 2, the THC level for edibles could be no more than 15 milligrams per serving.  (THC is tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive element in marijuana. )

Oregon’s rules also state that dispensaries may sell only one edible per customer per day, and buyers must be at least 21.  Before June 2, only medical marijuana cardholders in Oregon were allowed to buy edibles and extracts.

In Colorado on Thursday, June 16, the Supreme Court cleared the way for a ballot to limit the THC for marijuana sold in that state to 16 percent THC, for all types of marijuana.    Edibles would be limited to single serving packages, also.  The petitioners behind the ballot will have until August 8 to collect 98,000 to get it on the November ballot.  (More information is in a blog article published yesterday.)

Most pot products currently sold in Colorado and Washington exceed 20 percent THC.  Marijuana cookies and candies in Colorado and Washington can have as much as 10 servings, increasing the chance of psychotic reactions. (Photo above is by Krystyna Wentz-Graff/Oregonian)

Oregon’s rules about edibles show the desire to avoid some of the strong, adverse reactions to edibles that happened in Washington and Colorado.   In Colorado, the family of Kristine Kirk has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against an edibles maker and the store who sold her husband the marijuana candy that made him psychotic.   He shot his wife and now awaits trial for her murder.

However, the rules for edibles will change again later this year, as Noelle Crombie explains in the Oregonian.  The complication just proves how difficult regulating marijuana is.  Maureen Dowd explained horrible reaction to a marijuana edible in Colorado made national news, and it seems Oregon doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of Colorado and Washington.

While Oregon’s THC limits on edibles are lower than elsewhere, Oregon’s THC limits on marijuana extracts seem rather high.  According to rules set up by the state, buyers are allowed one container of up to 1000 milligrams of THC extract.  Extracts are concentrates processed from marijuana and used to make edibles. The extracts also can be smoked or vaporized.   Let’s hope novices won’t be buying the extracts.  The public and children must be protected!   Lotions and topical ointments may now have 6% THC.

Colorado, News Articles

Two Anti-Pot Petitions for the Ballot in Colorado

Could this be the End of Commercial Pot?

According to Associated Press on Thursday, the Supreme Court of Colorado cleared a petition to limit the potency of marijuana products. Now the petitioners are free to gather 98,000 signatures to go on the ballot in November of this year.

Pot would have to include warnings that marijuana carries a risk of “permanent loss of brain abilities.”  Many forms of marijuana that are currently popular such as vape pens and many edibles would become illegal.

Also on Thursday, June 16, the citizens of Pueblo and Pueblo County turned in petitions to opt out of Amendment 64 (the 2012 ballot initiative which legalized and commercialized marijuana sales). The activists goal is to  shut down recreational marijuana businesses in  their county.

Proud signature gatherers turn in petitions on June 16, photos courtesy of Pueblo for Positive Impact
Proud signature gatherers turn in petitions on June 16,  Photos above, Pueblo for Positive Impact.  Top photo is from Fox News.

Citizens for a Healthy Pueblo officials estimated that they submitted more than 9,000 signatures from the county; 5,454 valid signatures are required to place the county ban on the November ballot. Around 4,000 signatures were turned in from the city of Pueblo, 2,000 more than necessary.

The county clerk will have 30 days to decide if there are enough valid signatures to place the measures on the ballot.

Much credit for this work goes to the citizens and volunteer activists with Pueblo for a Positive Impact.