Jacob Bell
New Member
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- From security systems and surveillance cameras to mandatory tracking of all sales, tough regulations will hit the Colorado medical marijuana industry hard beginning July 1.
"Some of the major changes that are coming into effect are really going to affect how we deal with our patients," Jesse Vriese, manager of Green Love Wellness in Colorado Springs, said. "We have to be very careful with who we serve. It is no longer friendly retial, it is more paperwork and business."
Among the new rules, dispensaries must keep track of all their patients and sales. Vriese welcomes such regulation.
"Seed-to-sale, in my opinion, is very important," he said. "I think it is a pain and I think it is definitely going to be more work for us, but I think it is very important. I think it is something that needs to happen so the industry is regulated."
However, not all regulations sit well with the medical marijuana center manager, such as the "grow-your-own" rule which requires dispensaries to grow at least 70% of the marijuana the business sells. The rule is already in effect and has had some negative side effects according to Vriese.
"It put 70% of small businesses, mom and pop places that were doing this and were complient with current laws out of business," Vriese said. "Now in a way, this is good because you no longer have a large, unregulated industry. You now have a regulated and tight industry. But you put the people who started this, the grassroots of this industry and the ones that were making [the state] money, out of business."
Vriese believes more medical marijuana centers will close as a result of the new regulations. As a result, the industry will go in a direction that may not be so welcome to the community.
"If you regulate it too much, we're going to have to make huge, conglomerate businesses to even deal with the regulations that are going into effect," Vriese said.
Vriese also said many of the new rules were put into place to protect legislators, but he admits the upcoming regulations will protect Colorado's integrity, too.
"[This industry] absolutely needs to be regulated," he said. "We need to make it so this is not a problem and make it so it doesn't look like Colorado is selling weed to anybody."
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: coloradoconnection.com
Author: Kelly Werthmann
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Barrington Broadcasting Group, LLC
Website: More regulation for medical marijuana in CO
"Some of the major changes that are coming into effect are really going to affect how we deal with our patients," Jesse Vriese, manager of Green Love Wellness in Colorado Springs, said. "We have to be very careful with who we serve. It is no longer friendly retial, it is more paperwork and business."
Among the new rules, dispensaries must keep track of all their patients and sales. Vriese welcomes such regulation.
"Seed-to-sale, in my opinion, is very important," he said. "I think it is a pain and I think it is definitely going to be more work for us, but I think it is very important. I think it is something that needs to happen so the industry is regulated."
However, not all regulations sit well with the medical marijuana center manager, such as the "grow-your-own" rule which requires dispensaries to grow at least 70% of the marijuana the business sells. The rule is already in effect and has had some negative side effects according to Vriese.
"It put 70% of small businesses, mom and pop places that were doing this and were complient with current laws out of business," Vriese said. "Now in a way, this is good because you no longer have a large, unregulated industry. You now have a regulated and tight industry. But you put the people who started this, the grassroots of this industry and the ones that were making [the state] money, out of business."
Vriese believes more medical marijuana centers will close as a result of the new regulations. As a result, the industry will go in a direction that may not be so welcome to the community.
"If you regulate it too much, we're going to have to make huge, conglomerate businesses to even deal with the regulations that are going into effect," Vriese said.
Vriese also said many of the new rules were put into place to protect legislators, but he admits the upcoming regulations will protect Colorado's integrity, too.
"[This industry] absolutely needs to be regulated," he said. "We need to make it so this is not a problem and make it so it doesn't look like Colorado is selling weed to anybody."
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: coloradoconnection.com
Author: Kelly Werthmann
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Barrington Broadcasting Group, LLC
Website: More regulation for medical marijuana in CO
