Colorado 2026 Regular Session Status: Introduced 2 D cosponsors

SB 161 — Modernize Regulation of Cannabis-Related Products

Last action — Senate Committee on Finance Postpone Indefinitely

  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced April 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 30% · moderate confidence
  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 2 sponsors

    2 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (2 D).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

Under current law, an excise tax of 15% is levied and collected on the first sale or transfer of unprocessed retail marijuana by a retail marijuana cultivation facility, and a sales tax of 15% is imposed on sales of retail marijuana and retail marijuana products by a retailer. The bill lowers the excise tax to $1 per pound of unprocessed retail marijuana and replaces the 15% sales tax with a sales tax structure that is based on the content of intoxicating cannabinoids in retail cannabis products. The sales tax may be changed by an act of the general assembly but may not exceed 2 cents per milligram of total intoxicating cannabinoids until January 1, 2030, and 5 cents thereafter.     The legislative council staff shall make projections based on the tax changes and propose adjustments to the joint budget committee in order to stabilize intoxicating cannabinoid tax revenue. If such a proposal is made, the joint budget committee may propose legislation to stabilize the tax revenue.     Current law creates a bifurcated regulatory structure for marijuana and intoxicating hemp. The bill moves the testing and safety elements from the department of revenue to the department of public health and environment (department). The state licensing authority (authority) in the department of revenue is currently directed to adopt rules to, among other things, establish testing standards. The bill transfers these responsibilities from the authority to the department. Mandatory compliance testing requirements are shifted from throughout the supply chain to the point at which products are packaged for sale to or use by consumers. Mandatory compliance testing standards are set by a new reference laboratory, which will also conduct statewide off-shelf surveillance testing of intoxicating cannabis products. This means that the products are tested at the retail level where consumers may purchase them.     The bill requires the following be made available for public inspection via an online portal:Adverse health reports, including the product manufacturer and basis for the report, with personally identifiable information related to the affected customers redacted; andTraceability information and testing results for intoxicating cannabis products transferred to a consumer, so that consumers may access and view product batches, manufacturers, cultivators, or retailers and the associated traceability or testing data.     The bill requires marijuana product producers to be registered with the department and regulated in a like manner as other food manufacturers. The department may enforce labeling and content claim requirements and impose penalties for health- and labeling-related violations or refer violations to the authority for license discipline.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Bill Text

  • Introduced View text Current pdf April 15, 2026

Action History

  1. Senate Committee on Finance Postpone Indefinitely

  2. Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Finance

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 99 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (99)

99 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 99 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Passed 8 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 3000
Democrat 4001
Unaffiliated 1000
Total 8001
% of votes cast 89%0%0%11%
How each member voted (9)
Member Party Vote
Adrienne Benavidez — Yea
Cathy Kipp Democrat Not Voting
Chris Kolker Democrat Yea
Janice Marchman Democrat Yea
Kyle Mullica Democrat Yea
Marc Snyder Democrat Yea
Cleave Simpson Republican Yea
Lisa Frizell Republican Yea
Scott Bright Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 161 do?
Under current law, an excise tax of 15% is levied and collected on the first sale or transfer of unprocessed retail marijuana by a retail marijuana cultivation facility, and a sales tax of 15% is imposed on sales of retail marijuana and retail marijuana products by a retailer. The bill lowers the excise tax to $1 per pound of unprocessed retail marijuana and replaces the 15% sales tax with a sales tax structure that is based on the content of intoxicating cannabinoids in retail cannabis products. The sales tax may be changed by an act of the general assembly but may not exceed 2 cents per milligram of total intoxicating cannabinoids until January 1, 2030, and 5 cents thereafter.     The legislative council staff shall make projections based on the tax changes and propose adjustments to the joint budget committee in order to stabilize intoxicating cannabinoid tax revenue. If such a proposal is made, the joint budget committee may propose legislation to stabilize the tax revenue.     Current law creates a bifurcated regulatory structure for marijuana and intoxicating hemp. The bill moves the testing and safety elements from the department of revenue to the department of public health and environment (department). The state licensing authority (authority) in the department of revenue is currently directed to adopt rules to, among other things, establish testing standards. The bill transfers these responsibilities from the authority to the department. Mandatory compliance testing requirements are shifted from throughout the supply chain to the point at which products are packaged for sale to or use by consumers. Mandatory compliance testing standards are set by a new reference laboratory, which will also conduct statewide off-shelf surveillance testing of intoxicating cannabis products. This means that the products are tested at the retail level where consumers may purchase them.     The bill requires the following be made available for public inspection via an online portal:Adverse health reports, including the product manufacturer and basis for the report, with personally identifiable information related to the affected customers redacted; andTraceability information and testing results for intoxicating cannabis products transferred to a consumer, so that consumers may access and view product batches, manufacturers, cultivators, or retailers and the associated traceability or testing data.     The bill requires marijuana product producers to be registered with the department and regulated in a like manner as other food manufacturers. The department may enforce labeling and content claim requirements and impose penalties for health- and labeling-related violations or refer violations to the authority for license discipline.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Who sponsors SB 161?
SB 161 is sponsored by Kyle Mullica (Democrat) and Marc Snyder (Democrat).
What is the current status of SB 161?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced April 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 161?
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