Coloradans for Oversight of Marijuana
Potency•Accountability
Safety•Standards
Colorado’s marijuana compass is spinning. New legislation will set the needle on safety and stability.
The COMPASS Act ( Coloradans for Oversight of Marijuana: Potency, Accountability, Safety & Standards) is a plan to get Colorado’s cannabis market back on course. It delivers accurate labels, faster recalls, and one clear set of rules focused on protecting consumers, rewarding good actors, and making it easier to do business. Colorado once led the nation in cannabis regulation. The COMPASS Act makes sure we lead again.
WHAT
A modernization plan for Colorado’s marijuana market, bringing accurate labels, faster recalls, and fair, transparent rules.
WHY
Because consumers deserve safe products, honest competition, and a regulatory system that actually works in a maturing market.
HOW
By adopting proven alcohol-style regulations, funding enforcement without conflicts of interest, and holding bad actors accountable, swiftly.
The COMPASS Act brings four clear promises:
Potency accuracy
Labels match what’s inside.Accountability for bad actors
Noncompliance and contamination meet swift penalties.Safety for consumers
Shelf-surveillance pulls unsafe products in days not months.Updated, shared standards
Modern rules that lay out clear expectations for how industry and regulators can work together to protect consumers in a maturing market.
With COMPASS, Colorado can become the national leader of regulated marijuana once again.
Put Consumers First
Accurate Labels, Clean Products
Secret-shopper shelf surveillance removes tainted or mislabeled items within days. Regulators should protect consumers from bad actors rather than insulate bad actors from the consequences of their activities.
Bars and restaurants may serve low-dose Colorado-made hemp beverages while unsafe out-of-state hemp stays out.
Taxes that Make Sense
Per-milligram THC tax (steady) replaces price-based tax (volatile).
Minor cannabinoids untaxed to encourage the development of low-dose products with high concentrations of non-intoxicating cannabinoids.
Marijuana Enforcement Division funded from retail tax, not license fee, ending conflicts of interest.
why it matters
Safer shelves — faster recalls.
Honest competition — no more THC inflation or lab shopping.
Predictable revenue — schools and communities stay funded.
Colorado leadership — rules other states want to adopt in maturing markets.
Regulate Without
Over-Regulating
Finally deliver on the promise to “regulate marijuana like alcohol”
TODAY
Two separate rulebooks for medical and retail; confusing overlap and duplicate inspections
Business license fees range from $5,000 – $30,000 with annual renewal fees from $5000+
Mandatory employee badges $105 each, renewed every other year
Patchwork rules for sampling, signage, and events.
AFTER COMPASS
One streamlined, unified code for all cultivators, manufacturers, and retailers. No impact on medical patient purchasing experience or product availability.
Aligned more closely with a standard liquor license ($1,200 first year, $100 renewal) Equal fees, clear categories, no pay-to-play barriers.
No occupational badges. Like bartenders and brewery staff, workers show a normal ID; employers keep personnel records.
Mirror alcohol code: unified sampling limits, responsible advertising, one-day event permits.
Result: Marijuana businesses follow the familiar, proven framework that has guided Colorado’s beer, wine, and spirits for decades—delivering safety and fairness without piles of extra paperwork.