Insights

Colorado SB 25-076: How Would This Bill Affect Colorado’s Cannabis and Natural Medicine Programs?

By Genevieve Meehan, Jerrico Perez

Mar 7, 2025

Have you heard about Colorado SB25-076—Intoxicating Substances & Social Equity Businesses? While state legislators introduced the bill with good intentions to protect public health and safety, some of the provisions could significantly impact businesses and consumers in the Colorado cannabis and natural medicine spaces. A public hearing on the bill will be held on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. If you want to take action, now is the time to make your voices heard and contact your legislators.

Key Concerns About SB-76

Wasteful and burdensome cannabis packaging requirements

It would create wasteful and unnecessary packaging limits for inhaled products.

  • One-eighth of an ounce would require 700% more packaging, and an ounce would require 56 times more. This would dramatically roll back progress on sustainability.

Unprecedented color-coding and cannabis labeling requirements

It would create a confusing and unprecedented color-coding system for indicating potency.

  • The proposed color-coding system and labeling standards are unnecessary and not aligned with best practices. No state has adopted such a color-coding system.

THC potency limits for adults 21–25

This bill would prohibit 21-to-25-year-olds from purchasing products with THC concentrations over 10%. It would also prohibit them from purchasing inhalable products with flavorings.

Places unnecessary prohibitions on natural medicine products

The bill would prohibit a natural medicine license holder from manufacturing, distributing, or transferring natural medicine or a natural medicine product that:

  • Is a candy product, gummy, chocolate, or other confection;
  • Contains a concentrated form of a natural medicine or natural medicine product;
  • Is consumed by or administered by a means other than oral ingestion; or
  • Contains an added flavor or sweetener.

Economic impact on legal cannabis businesses

Reduced sales as a result of the THC potency limits for a sizeable segment of the adult market would decimate an industry already struggling with high regulatory burdens and federal tax rates.

If you want to take action against this bill, we recommend that you contact your lawmakers today:

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Advocacy, Colorado, Genevieve Meehan, Jerrico Perez, Regulatory Policy