So you’re perhaps visiting colorful Colorado and you want to partake in as much cannabis smoking as humanly possible. We get it – with so many strains, terpenes, and types of marijuana products available, it’s like being a kid in a candy store. But how much weed can you buy in Colorado? Well, there seems to be a few set rules, but a lot of grey area around such rules.
Let us explain.
It used to be that there were special marijuana deals you could get at marijuana dispensaries in Colorado that included an ounce of marijuana flower and a couple of grams of concentrates. These and many more of the best marijuana deals and best deals on concentrates in large quantities became a thing of the past on October 1st when new Colorado marijuana regulations went into effect that more specifically defined purchase limits by clarifying the concentrate to flower equivalency.
At the time, a gram of THC was considered a gram of THC, and tourists could only purchase up to 7 grams of it while residents in Colorado were allowed to purchase up to 28 grams of it, be it in the form of concentrates like wax and shatter, in the form of edibles, or in the form of buds.
When the new marijuana regulations went into effect on October 1st, 2016, 800 mg of edibles or 8 grams of concentrate were considered equivalent to 28 grams of marijuana flower. One gram of concentrate is now considered equivalent to an eighth of flower, while two grams is equivalent to a quarter ounce.
This meant that no longer would Colorado marijuana dispensaries be able to offer their retail customers anything close to an ounce of flower, paired with two grams of concentrates.
So, now, if you purchase two grams of concentrates, the most bud you can buy is just three quarters.
Deals on whole ounces of concentrates have changed, too. The new regulations greatly diminished the quantity of concentrate purchased in a single transaction, and no longer are recreational marijuana consumers allowed to purchase more than 8 grams of concentrates at a time without exceeding the purchase limit.
And, with many edibles packing 200mg THC per package, a few marijuana-infused candy bars can add up to the 800mg purchase limit very quickly. If you want to mix and match with some flower or edibles or concentrates, you have to really be smart in tallying up exactly how much of what you can legally get. The biggest challenge that marijuana dispensaries face now is to come up with alternative bundle packages that include a carefully thought-out balance of flower and concentrates or edibles that will appeal to marijuana consumers while staying within the rules (although you will see different dispensaries offer certain bundle packages that maximize how much weed you can buy in Colorado at a time).
Other new(ish) regulations have affected the cannabis industry more than the marijuana consumer. Remember that weird label that comes on every marijuana product you buy in Colorado, that looked a bit like a sheriff's badge, only it said, “Department of Revenue” and “marijuana” on it? That became a thing of the past as a new marijuana warning label has since been adopted.
The new retail marijuana symbol features a diamond shape surrounding the word “THC” coupled with an exclamation mark. Each individually wrapped edible also contains this new icon. The new symbol for medical marijuana is virtually the same, only with an additional letter “m” to denote that it is a medical product. The new universal symbols came into use on October 1st, but there was a two-month grace period extending the compliance period until November 30th, 2016. Any establishments found selling marijuana labeled with the outdated universal symbol face serious penalties.
The simple answer of how much weed you can buy in Colorado: Colorado residents and visitors alike may purchase up to 1 ounce (Oz) of marijuana at a time, once a day.
Medical marijuana patients are allowed up to 2 ounces (Oz) of marijuana at a time, once a day.
Now, there currently isn't any system in place that actually prevents consumers from simply heading from one dispensary to another to get around the purchase limits, but the law also says that Colorado residents and visitors alike may only POSSESS up to 1 ounce at a time, while medical marijuana patients may only POSSESS up to 2 ounces at a time.
So, nothing’s stopping you from going from dispensary and dispensary and maxing out your pot purchase limit, but be ye warned – if you’re caught with the possession of more than an ounce at a time (given you’re not a medical marijuana patient), there may be a fee or civil penalty assessed. We don’t recommend doing this.
Don’t think you’re wise in leaving a dispensary with the maximum weed allowed, only to return and buy more, as they’ll have record of each transaction made. An example was made out of one of Colorado’s largest dispensaries, Sweet Leaf, after being busted for working around some of the loopholes.
If you’re driving, you can have weed in your car, but it must be under the allowed limit and must be in a sealed container. It is not allowed to consume marijuana in the car or while driving. It’s also not allowed to carry marijuana across state borders.
So, whether you’re a Colorado resident and just don’t buy weed much or you’re only visiting Colorado for a short period of time, the new laws allow you to buy a significant amount of weed. So, how much weed can you buy in Colorado? The short answer is, enough. Unless you’re smoking an ounce a day, then we have a few problems to address. If an ounce a day isn’t enough, then just come back tomorrow!
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