6/21/2011
Medical marijuana regulators in Colorado have teamed up with local law enforcement agencies to help them in shutting down illegal commercial pot cultivations, as well as prosecute those operating them.
By far, the state of Colorado is the only one in America with medical marijuana regulations that permit companies to profit from its sales. Its stringent business licensing requirements are making it easier for law enforcement personnel to find, arrest and prosecute illegal cultivators of marijuana.
Before a 2010 law that required special marijuana business license for cultivators, dispensaries and introduced product manufacturers was enacted, these businesses operated without supervision. While medical marijuana users need to register with the state, as provided for by a constitutional amendment that was passed in 2000 allowing use of the drug, traders who provide the drug do not need to register.
The 2010 measure further amended laws pertaining to medical marijuana and clearly defined who are growing them commercially and who are those not under the state law. Before it took effect, investigations by the police sometimes fall apart because the arrested illegal cultivators would claim that they are growing pot for patients and would even provide patient cards as their proof.
With new regulations brought about by the 2010 law, state regulators and police can now clearly see the “bright line” for enforcement.
Medical marijuana businesses who have met the initial requirements to continue operating legally under state law are entered into the database of the Department of Revenue’s Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division. This database is accessible to law enforcement agencies. If a marijuana business is not in the database, they are regarded as illegal drug dealers.
