(The Center Square) – Inspections of Colorado’s retail marijuana stores might be advanced at the side of enforcement of rules and rules, consistent with a document from the state auditor.
A efficiency audit of the Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division was once lately launched. The 58-page document made six suggestions, all permitted by means of the department.
All state departments and businesses will have to yearly go through efficiency audits of a number of particular techniques or products and services in a minimum of two departments.
The audit discovered the department didn’t check out 36% or 40 of 112 newly authorized retail marijuana stores inside twelve months of receiving licensed licenses between fiscal years 2019 and 2022. The department additionally didn’t check out 32% or 182 of the 567 authorized retail marijuana stores showing on a minimum of one centered inspection document. Stores with out ever being reviewed or with out an inspection within the closing two years are at the centered inspection checklist.
Of the 182 stores no longer inspected, 75 had by no means been inspected, whilst the department checked different stores more than one instances. One retailer was once inspected 19 instances throughout the 4 years, consistent with the audit.
The audit discovered regulators checked 88% or 554 of 629 retail stores once or more for underage compliance. The stores gave the impression on a minimum of one per month underage compliance take a look at document throughout the overview duration.
The audit discovered investigators didn’t persistently cite marijuana stores for all violations related to gross sales to underage folks. Of seven stores cited for promoting marijuana to an underage operative, handiest six have been cited for failing to ensure the operative’s age. Five have been cited for permitting the operative right into a limited house the place marijuana is bought, and 3 have been cited for shifting marijuana to a buyer with out legitimate identity.
Colorado electorate licensed Amendment 64 in 2012, authorizing the private use of marijuana or “retail marijuana.” The department is liable for regulating the state’s retail marijuana business by means of issuing trade licenses, analyzing marijuana stores, investigating alleged violations of marijuana rules, and pursuing enforcement movements.
The department conducts centered inspections that specialize in particular compliance of a certified retailer. The department’s compliance exams come with underage operatives between 18 and 20.5 who try to shop for marijuana from a certified retailer. The department prioritizes those investigations by means of producing a per month centered underage compliance document list stores at higher possibility of noncompliance.
The audit additionally discovered the dep. didn’t conform to state procurement necessities in 2018 when it renewed an $856,000 contract for 8 years with Metrc LLC, the device dealer used for the improve, licensing, and web hosting products and services for the state’s seed-to-sale monitoring gadget.
“The (Department) should ensure that it complies with state procurement requirements when procuring the Marijuana Enforcement Division’s seed-to-sale inventory tracking system by revising its purchasing guidance to explain how staff should determine when a sole source procurement is appropriate, what information is needed to support that decision and what information should be documented in sole source justifications,” the audit said.
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