News

Statement on the Passage of SB23-271 Regarding Regulation of Intoxicating Hemp-derived Cannabinoids

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Colorado Leads released the following statement on SB23-271 regarding “Intoxicating Cannabinoid Hemp and Marijuana.” The bill prohibits intoxicating hemp-derived products from the Colorado market and clarifies that only marijuana and marijuana-derived products can be intoxicating. It allows for some hemp products to contain THC, with limits on potency, package size, and sales, which will be regulated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Statement from Chuck Smith, president of the board of directors for Colorado Leads:

“SB23-271 is a product of the stakeholder engagement process that characterizes Colorado’s cannabis policymaking process and has been critical to its success. It prohibits products that are potentially dangerous, while allowing for continued research and development of hemp-derived cannabinoids and products. Most importantly, it prioritizes product safety and regulatory compliance, which are cornerstones of the regulated cannabis industry. Creating a clear line between intoxicating and non-intoxicating products will ensure consumers know what they’re getting and how it will affect them. It will also prevent people under the age of 21 from accessing products with potentially intoxicating levels of THC.

“The regulation of intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids is a major policy issue that many states will be grappling with for years to come. By passing SB23-271, Colorado has once again established itself as a national leader on the complex issues facing the legal cannabis industry. In addition to setting an example for other states, it will help drive forward important conversations taking place at the federal level.”

New Member Spotlight: Metrc LLC

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We are excited to welcome Metrc to Colorado Leads!

Metrc LLC is the most trusted and experienced provider of cannabis regulatory systems in the United States. Its solution combines advanced software, radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, a dedicated customer-support team, and a secure database to track and trace cannabis from growth, harvest, and processing to testing, transport, and sale. Governments contracting with Metrc receive an off-the-shelf software-as-a-service (SaaS) system configured specifically to their needs, and the company’s cloud-based tracking software and securely encoded RFID-enabled tags give regulators full supply-chain visibility. Metrc also provides data management, reporting services, third-party integrator support, cloud hosting, technical updates, along with training and support for users in government and industry.

Colorado Leads member companies include a wide range of licensed cannabis operators and ancillary businesses, and we encourage any organization or individual who shares our vision and mission to consider joining. Visit the Membership section to learn more.

Colorado Leads Welcomes Richard Batenburg, Jr. to the Board of Directors

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Richard M. Batenburg, Jr., CEO, Clear Cannabis Inc.We are pleased to welcome Richard Batenburg, Jr. to the Colorado Leads Board of Directors!

Richard is Chairman of the Board and CEO of Clear Cannabis Inc. Additionally, he holds managing positions in BATMANN Consulting, Inc., an operational and strategic consulting company to cannabis- and non-cannabis-related businesses, where he has served as both CEO and President since its founding in March 1997; Redwood Investment Partners LLC, d/b/a Bonsai Cultivation, a cannabis cultivation company, where he has served as the chairman since January 2017; and BB Talent, LLC, a talent management, and production company, where he has been the managing member since its founding in February 2015.

Richard has over 40 years of experience as an entrepreneur and business owner/operator and excels at “end-to-end” processes to help frontline employees deliver products and services to customers. He is author of the book “Change Is Great… Be First!” published by Advantage Media Group in 2016, and he is the founder of many startups in Software, Consumer Goods, and Consulting and Finance in dozens of industries, focusing the past seven years in Cannabis and Hemp. Read more

New Member Spotlight: Clear Cannabis Inc.

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We are thrilled to welcome Clear Cannabis Inc. to Colorado Leads!

Clear Cannabis Inc. is one of the original cannabis brands founded in 2013 by a team of scientists who introduced molecular distillation to the legal cannabis market and in the process reinvented the cannabis vape category. As a national cannabis brand and licensor of The Clear™ family of brands, including TWAX, ENDO, and Dripcees, products are currently available in 10 cannabis markets and growing throughout the U.S. The company is focused on responsible manufacturing, proprietary formulations, securing widespread distribution, and expanding product lines.

Colorado Leads member companies include a wide range of licensed cannabis operators and ancillary businesses, and we encourage any organization or individual who shares our vision and mission to consider joining. Visit the Membership section to learn more.

New Member Spotlight: PAX

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We are thrilled to welcome PAX to Colorado to Colorado Leads!

PAX is a leading global cannabis brand on a mission to enhance people’s lives through exceptional cannabis experiences. PAX’s curated set of all natural, full-flavor cannabis products and award-winning devices make enjoying cannabis simple and safe. For more than a decade, PAX has created next-generation devices that deliver enduring quality through innovations in design and technology and remain trusted by millions of consumers nationwide. The PAX brand represents a vision for creating sustainable well-being and building opportunity through cannabis.

Colorado Leads member companies include a wide range of licensed cannabis operators and ancillary businesses, and we encourage any organization or individual who shares our vision and mission to consider joining. Visit the Membership section to learn more.

Colorado Leads-backed “No on 119” Campaign Receives AAPC Campaign Excellence Award

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We are excited to share that Cannabis Community for Fairness and Safety, our campaign that defeated Colorado Proposition 119, received the American Association of Political Consultants’ Campaign Excellence Award for Ballot Measure Campaign of the Year (Statewide).

From the AAPC:

“This next campaign faced numerous challenges in their efforts to defeat a proposed 5% tax on the sale of recreational marijuana in Colorado. To start, they were outspent…24-1… And despite heavy opposition from Colorado public officials, they were able to identify key messages and distribute them to voters throughout the state. Through a grassroots effort, they defeated the measure by 9 points, surprising the politicians, the pundits and the major foundations funding the opposing campaign.”

Read Colorado Leads’ press release after the jump.

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Meet Our Newest Board Member: Stephen Goldman of Kaycha Labs

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Colorado Leads is pleased to welcome Stephen Goldman to the Colorado Leads Board of Directors!

As Chief Science Officer and Lab Director of Kaycha Labs in Colorado, Stephen is primarily focused on research and development, nationwide standardizations and new test development. Specifically, he’s been leading Kaycha’s efforts to develop cannabis vapor testing for metal contamination. Though testing is now required by state regulators, there is no standardized method for testing cannabis emissions. Goldman and Kaycha, however, appear to have successfully developed one, which you can read about here.

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New Member Spotlight: Harmony Extracts

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We are proud to welcome Harmony Extracts as the latest member of Colorado Leads.

Founded in 2015, Harmony Extracts hit the ground running with a singular goal: To create cannabis concentrates of the highest quality with uniquely rich terpene profiles.  In a young industry, the Harmony team has more than 100 years of combined experience in cannabis development using state-of-the-art medical grade equipment, along with proprietary solvent blends to transform our plants into high-end BHO products that have earned the company an incomparable reputation. Just like nature’s little hummingbird, Harmony works to extract the best of what nature has to offer and is fiercely dedicated to the Harmony standard of purity, quality, and consistency.

Colorado Leads member companies include a wide range of licensed cannabis operators and ancillary businesses, and we encourage any organization or individual who shares our vision and mission to consider joining. Visit the Membership section to learn more.

Colorado Leads Guest Column in The Colorado Sun

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The Colorado Sun published a guest column by Colorado Leads Board President Chuck Smith regarding the strong public support for legal medical cannabis in Colorado and the success of the state’s efforts to regulate it.

In the nine years since Colorado became the first state in the country to legalize adult-use marijuana, three things have become clear: the vast majority of Coloradans support legalization and consider cannabis as medicine (Opinion: After 20 years, it’s clear that marijuana is not ‘medicine’, Colorado Sun, Jan. 4).

They also believe kids should not have access to it unless it’s for medical treatment.

Nowhere is this more evident than in two Colorado laws that have just gone into effect. One closes a loophole by restricting young people with medical cards from accessing unlimited marijuana products, a practice known as “looping.” The other expands the right of students with “valid medical marijuana recommendation(s)” to access their medication at school.

Both laws are representative of the consistent collaboration among elected officials, regulators, and public-health experts and the cannabis industry, its customers, and patients. Over the last decade, the state has protected kids through responsible regulations, such as enhanced child-proof packaging, and strong education campaigns, while also recognizing that cannabis is critical medicine for post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, epileptic seizures, insomnia, and numerous other medical conditions.

The ability for multiple stakeholders and elected officials to fairly balance these complicated interests is the primary reason Colorado’s regulations are considered the strongest in the country and continue to be held up as a model for other states.

Read the rest of the article at The Colorado Sun.

Wins at the Ballot Box

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Even before the legislative session ended in May, Colorado Leads was preparing to fight a proposed November ballot measure—Proposition 119—to increase taxes on retail cannabis sales by five percent. The measure, backed by Gov. Jared Polis and former governors of both political parties, would have mandated the tax increase to fund a new education program characterized even by education experts as lacking accountability, transparency, and oversight.

Another initiative in Denver, Initiative 300—funded by an out-of-town, 29-year-old crypto-billionaire— proposed to raise marijuana taxes for pandemic preparedness research. Had both Prop 119 and Initiative 300 passed, Denver’s marijuana taxes would have been the highest in the country among the largest cities where retail cannabis sales are legal.

Leads formed a campaign committee, Cannabis Community for Fairness and Safety (CCFS), as a vehicle to fight the ballot measure. Despite being outspent 50 to one, Colorado voters defeated Prop. 119 (54-46), with majorities in 59 of the state’s 64 counties opposing the measure. Initiative 300 was also defeated, sending a clear message that voters in Colorado and the Mile High City think taxes on cannabis are currently high enough.