Pubdate: Thu, 30 Jul 2015
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Column: Ask a Stoner
Copyright: 2015 Village Voice Media
Contact: http://www.westword.com/feedback/EmailAnEmployee?department=letters
Website: http://www.westword.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1616
Author: Herbert Fuego

HOW CAN I START SELLING MY EDIBLES?

Dear Stoner: I've been making butter, oils and tinctures. What 
licenses and permits do I need to sell my edibles to dispensaries, 
and do I need a commercial kitchen?

Todd

Dear Todd: There are plenty of hoops to jump through on your way to 
producing commercial edibles, but here's one insurmountable hurdle: 
If you have a recent criminal history, especially one involving 
drugs, then you probably don't have a shot.

If your record's clean, though, go to the Marijuana Enforcement 
Division website. At 
colorado.gov/pacific/enforcement/marijuanaenforcement, you'll find 
information on applying for medical and retail marijuana business 
licenses (you'd want an infused-product license for edibles), the 
requirements and fees to do so, and all of the other boring but 
extremely important details that go with starting a marijuana business.

If you plan on buying pot or trim for canna butter and won't grow or 
extract in-house, you could potentially produce edibles in your own 
home, depending on the zoning and marijuana laws of the municipality 
you live in. You'll have to do some renovations, though: Any retail 
marijuana business application requires that you attach a diagram of 
your business - including dimensions - that shows limited-access 
areas, walls, partitions, entrances, exits, security-equipment 
locations and more. And that's just the beginning.

Dear Stoner: Do I need any type of special insurance to open up a 
marijuana business? I see marijuana insurance companies and want to 
know if I need one to open a grow operation. Kim

Dear Kim: Your first concern should be attaining the proper licensing 
and property to start a commercial grow, but if you've already 
figured that out, then protecting your cash crop is a logical worry. 
While you don't need "special" insurance for a marijuana business, it 
might be tough to get in any case. Most Colorado pot businesses have 
to insure themselves under the excess-and-surplus segment of 
insurance, meaning that policyholders, agents, brokers and insurance 
companies can design specific and expensive insurance plans based on 
the risks - so they can basically charge pot businesses whatever they 
want. It's hard to blame companies for the gouging, though: Insuring 
a federally illegal agricultural business with still-unknown risks 
that most likely operates on a cash-only basis doesn't sound like the 
definition of stability. As with just about every other facet of the 
marijuana industry, insurance should get easier after federal legalization.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom