Colorado Officials Unable to Agree on Rules Regulating Edible Marijuana Products

Officials in Colorado were unable this week to agree on rules to regulate edible marijuana products, The Denver Post reports. The working group charged with drafting the rules decided to submit ideas for new regulations to the legislature.

A law sponsored by State Representative Jonathan Singer requires the Department of Revenue, which oversees the state’s marijuana businesses, to draft rules to limit the accidental ingestion of marijuana-infused edibles sold in recreational marijuana stores. The rules must be in place by 2016. “I wanted to know the difference between a marijuana cookie and a Chips Ahoy! cookie just by looking at it,” said Singer, who was part of the working group.

The group considered ideas ranging from better labeling of the products, to requiring edibles to be a certain color, or be stamped with a certain symbol. One proposal would have banned almost all forms of edibles. The state health department suggested creating a commission to approve marijuana edibles before they can be sold in stores. The commission would make sure the products could be identified as marijuana edibles when they are out of their packaging, and would not be appealing to children.

Edible marijuana products have become a popular alternative to smoking marijuana in Colorado this year, since retail sales of the products became legal on January 1. Adults 21 and over can legally purchase marijuana edibles at state-licensed stores. Marijuana is now available in products ranging from candy to soda and granola.

Earlier this year, health officials reported legal marijuana edible products were linked to two deaths and an increase in emergency room visits in Colorado. The amount of marijuana in edible products varies widely. In some cases, products contain levels so high that people experience extreme paranoia and anxiety.