Collectives that provide pot to members at or below cost — and also free of regulation and taxation — face uncertain prospects now that laws governing legalized marijuana in Colorado are on the books, says the Denver Post. Through a final-hour amendment, state legislators sought to ban recreational marijuana collectives incorporated as nonprofits or businesses. Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the bill Tuesday. One nonprofit collective has at least temporarily halted operations, and another is taking a wait-and-see approach to the new rules.
Under the model, members assign to the collective their growing rights guaranteed in the state constitution under voter-approved Amendment 64. The collective, which by law cannot profit, then provides marijuana to members for no more than the cost of expenses. Collectives aim to meet consumer demand until for-profit pot retail centers — which will be regulated and heavily taxed — open next year. Robert Corry, a Denver lawyer whose firm has helped establish more than a dozen pot collectives, said he believes existing collectives are grand- fathered in and can continue.