Colorado lawmakers hope to pass the first set of recreational marijuana regulations in the country.

The proposed laws involve who can sell it, where it can be sold, to whom, and also will include a new tax. Voters will have to go back to the polls to approve these new regulations.

The taxes on Colorado’s recreational marijuana could be more than 30 percent. “If a patient’s budget is $100 a month on medical marijuana, that’s a $30 to $40 a month increase,” stated one medical marijuana patient.

Although medical and recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado, employers in the state can legally fire workers who test positive for the substance, even if they only used it while off-duty.

The Colorado Court of Appeals found no employment protection for medical marijuana users because the substance remains federally illegal.

“For an activity to be lawful in Colorado, it must be permitted by, and not contrary to, both state and federal law” stated Colorado’s Court of Appeals.

Two Colorado entrepreneurs with experience in the medical marijuana industry have opened the country’s first marijuana tourism company.

My 420 Tours will pick up its visitors/clients at the airport, then connect them to a marijuana-friendly hotel, have dispensary grow tours, hash making demonstrations, and provide visitors with tickets to marijuana-themed events. The company’s first official tourism package is built around April 20th.

Marijuana travels will increase through the country. Denver just might become the Amsterdam of America.

The Marijuana Task Force in Colorado issued its final recommendations for how the state should implement Amendment 64. Although, the actual regulations will be made by Colorado’s lawmakers.

The 165-page report released this week included 58 recommendations for the governor and state legislators to review.

Jack Finlaw, the Task Force Co-Chair stated that the report was “very comprehensive” and said that it laid the groundwork for regulations. Finlaw also stated that “The Task Force recommendations will now need to be perfected through the legislative process and rulemakings by various state agencies.”

To view the entire Colorado Marijuana Task Force report: click here

Colorado’s Revenue Department has until July 1 to draft rules for marijuana cultivation, distribution and retailing. While the state of Washington has until Dec. 1 to have regulations in place.

“This is brand new and unprecedented,” said Colorado Rep. Dan Pabon, who has been appointed to Gov. John Hickenlooper’s task force to devise and implement the law. Rep. Pabon also said, “There’s not a lot of evidence we can look to, other than using deductive reasoning, to determine the best course.”

Both states are proceeding although they know they could be stopped at any point by the federal government.

“We predict the market will be four to five times bigger than the current market,” said Brian Vicente, a lawyer based in Denver, who said he has advised many operators of Colorado medical marijuana dispensaries. “There are about 500,000 people who admit to using medical marijuana once a month, so quite a few people who are not medical marijuana patients will be going to these new stores” claims Vicente.

Colorado’s medical marijuana industry is disappearing as the state legalizes marijuana for recreational purposes.

In 2010, at the height of Colorado’s medical marijuana industry, known as the “green rush,” there was a total of 1,131 medical marijuana businesses. Now, that number has dropped to 675, a decrease of nearly 40 percent.

The problems for these businesses mainly come from fierce competition and federal enforcement. Many business are receiving warning letters from the Colorado U.S. Attorney threatening prosecution.

Soon marijuana legalization will be fully implemented in Colorado, which could be the fatal blow for the Colorado medical marijuana industry.

Colorado is debating if they will allow tourists to purchase marijuana in small amounts while they are visiting the state. This would be very similar to Amsterdam’s former laws in regards to tourists freely purchasing and using marijuana while in Amsterdam.

State lawmakers will have their final decision made by the beginning of May on a regulatory framework that oversees sales of recreational marijuana; which is a key step in implementing the new laws. Legal sales of recreational marijuana are set to begin next January. Colorado still allows the sale and use of marijuana for medical purposes to those with a doctor’s prescription.

Opening up the recreational marijuana market to tourists would dramatically increase revenues for the state.

Medical marijuana is legal in 18 states, Washington, D.C., and there are multiple states that in 2013 will be voting on implementing medical marijuana.

The demand for medical marijuana is skyrocketing. And with it is a demand for people knowledgeable about the plant and industry. That is why some Colorado entrepreneurs have developed a program to train people to grow marijuana, and to prepare for careers with medical marijuana growers, manufacturers and dispensaries.

THC University is based in Denver and has just recently started holding classes. Their classes are offered in classrooms and will soon be available online too.

As Colorado awaits the new marijuana legalization regulations, state officials worry about the feds cracking down.

A Colorado official who has had conversations with federal officials who have been offering hints for how Colorado can avoid being targeted for a federal crackdown. A few factors the feds are likely to look at are if Colorado develops comprehensive, enforceable laws for the forthcoming legalized marijuana industry, and whether the state can keep Colorado-grown marijuana within its borders, as well as if the state can keep marijuana out of the hands of minors.

The federal government could move to squash Colorado’s legalized marijuana program before it even gets going. The feds are in a predicament: Colorado voted to legalize possession and sale of marijuana last November, although all marijuana possession, use, and distribution remain illegal under the federal law.

Proper regulation of legalized marijuana in Colorado might be the only thing keeping Colorado from being thrown off the tightrope by the feds. Only time will tell what the feds will do.

On Monday, Superior became the first community in Colorado to begin putting in place a permanent ban on any and all marijuana businesses including retail shops, clubs or cultivation facilities.

The Superior Board of Trustees unanimously voted on a first reading in favor of an ordinance banning marijuana establishments. One Trustee was absent. The final vote is set for the Board’s next meeting in February.

They also approved on first reading a measure that will make it illegal for anyone to “publicly consume or grow” marijuana in Superior.

According to Town Attorney Kendra Carberry, “Amendment 64 allows you to grow at home — we can’t stop that. Amendment 64 allows you to smoke at home — we can’t stop that. All this does is address the business side of things.”

Colorado voters passed a law in November of 2012 allowing residents to grow up to six pot plants and to possess and use up to 1 ounce. It also allows for the establishment of municipalities regulated retail stores and manufacturing facilities.

Superior is going further than any other community in Colorado when it comes to regulating recreational pot. Most, including Broomfield, Longmont, Erie, Lyons and Lafayette, are pursuing or have imposed moratoria. But none have gone as far as banning marijuana.

Laurel Alterman, owner of AlterMeds, a medical marijuana dispensary in Louisville, said while she is happy she won’t have any competition from marijuana retail shops to the south. “I think it’s incredibly shortsighted of Superior and I wonder if they understand what their constituents want. What is so harmful?”

Currently, Louisville makes about $2,500 per month in sales tax from AlterMeds. That, she said, could double or even triple now that recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado.