Colorado’s legislature has passed another bill as part of their efforts to reign in the state’s so-called gray market, the Associated Press reports. If signed by the governor, the measure would outlaw cannabis cultivation co-ops, which allow people to grow plants for others under the state’s adult-use laws. There are no state estimates about how many collective grows are happening in Colorado.
Under current state law – a constitutional amendment – people over 21 are allowed to grow their own cannabis or assist others, allowing a single farmer to cultivate crops for an unlimited number of people, which allows the growers to avoid taxes that can reach as high as 30 percent in some jurisdictions.
The bill also earmarks $6 million a year from the marijuana tax fund for law enforcement in order to help them investigate illegal grows.
Gov. John Hickenlooper’s Office indicated that he would sign another bill this week that limits the number of cannabis plants allowed to be grown by an individual from 99 to 12. That legislation would force medical cannabis cardholders allowed to grow more than 12 plants to grow in locations zoned for agricultural or commercial purposes, or buy from licensed dispensaries.