Democratic Gov. Jared Polis has signed legislation (House Bill 1279) into law repealing the ban on the online sale of cannabis products.
The law allows licensed retailers, for the first time, to “accept payment online for the sale of retail marijuana and retail marijuana products.”
Consumers are required to provide proof of age when making online purchases, and all purchases must be picked up in person at the retailer’s physical location.
Proponents say that the law’s intent is to limit the number of in-person cash transactions taking place at licensed retailers.
In written testimony before the US Senate, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano cautioned that the cash-only nature of the retail cannabis industry makes “businesses more susceptible to theft and more difficult to audit. It also places the safety and welfare of their customers at risk, as patrons must carry significant amounts of cash on their persons to make legal purchases at retail facilities. Similarly, it needlessly jeopardizes the safety of retail staffers, who are susceptible to robbery.”
NORML has long called upon Congress to pass the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act in order to normalize relations between state-licensed cannabis businesses and financial institutions.
Additional information about the SAFE Banking Act is available from NORML’s Take Action Center.
