CO Lawmakers Close To Approving Marijuana Regulations

Call it a free-ish market

The Colorado legislature on Friday moved closer to becoming the first in the nation to pass laws regulating the sale of recreational marijuana in retail stores.

The Senate Finance Committee gave unanimous approval to a bill creating a regulatory structure for commercial pot shops — which would have to be licensed with the state and couldn't sell anything beyond marijuana or marijuana-related items. The committee later passed a bill on marijuana taxes.

The most significant change the committee made to the regulations bill Friday involved whether the state can set limits on the size of commercial marijuana grows. The bill had said the state must set such limits. The Senate committee amended the bill to say the state can set limits but doesn't have to.