Colorado Cannabis Collecting Initiative

In the United States, Colorado has been in the forefront of regulating the use of medical marijuana, and by 2010 the state had established a sophisticated system of taxation and revenue generation for the medical sale of cannabis through medical marijuana dispensaries. The subsequent push to legalize the recreational use of marijuana within Colorado, beyond its use for medical purposes, was controversial and highly debated. The Colorado Marijuana Legalization Amendment, also known as Amendment 64, was a ballot measure introduced to amend the Colorado State Constitution, outlining a statewide drug policy for the recreational use of cannabis. The passing of Amendment 64 by the citizens of Colorado in November 2012 was considered a historic event, which generated significant national and international media coverage.

Enacted as Article 18, Section 16 of the state constitution, Amendment 64 addressed personal use and regulation of marijuana for adults 21 and over, as well as commercial cultivation, manufacture, and sale, effectively regulating marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. The commercial sale of marijuana to the general public, which began on January 1, 2014, made marijuana a cash crop. While the recreational use of cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, 7 U.S. states, in addition to Colorado, legalized the recreational use of marijuana within their state boundaries between 2012 and 2017. As of the spring of 2018, 30 U.S. states have legalized the medical use of marijuana through various methods of regulation.