Industrial Hemp and Hemp Products Testing in Colorado Retail Marijuana Testing Facilities
On September 21, 2018, the Colorado Department of Revenue Marijuana Enforcement Division the (“MED”), the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (“CDPHE”), and the Colorado Department of Agriculture (“CDA”) issued a bulletin authorizing licensed Retail Marijuana Testing Facilities to test industrial hemp and industrial hemp products derived from hemp cultivated by a CDA registrant. The agencies issued the bulletin in an effort to propose amendments to current regulations and engage stakeholders in a discussion to address the scope and extent of industrial hemp and hemp products testing in Colorado.
Prior to the bulletin, Colorado law permitted MED licensed retail marijuana testing facilities to test industrial hemp, but only unprocessed plant material and only for testing potency. The proposed amendment to the rules would allow such testing facilities to test unprocessed industrial hemp plant material as well as industrial hemp products under certain circumstances. The agencies’ proposal authorizes testing on industrial hemp and industrial hemp products so long as the following requirements are met:
- The person submitting the sample for testing provides the retail marijuana testing facility with a CDA registration number indicating the origin of the material to be tested;
- The sample submitted for testing is tracked through the radio frequency-based inventory tracking system; and
- If the sample submitted for testing is a sample of a product to be used in the manufacture of an industrial hemp product, the manufacturer of the product possesses a CDPHE registration.
The agencies’ bulletin indicates the first stakeholder meeting to discuss these proposed changes is scheduled for Monday, October 1, 2018, from 9.30am to 12.30pm, at the Colorado Department of Agriculture, 305 Interlocken Parkway, Broomfield, CO 80021. Please contact McAllister Garfield should you have any questions about how these proposed changes will apply to your business, or if you would like the firm to represent your interests at stakeholder meetings on the issue.
Sincerely,
Garrett L. Davey, Esq.
Related Article

August 2025 Psychedelic Law Update
Status of Colorado Model State Screening Forms For many months, DORA has been promising to release the model screening forms that will satisfy the requirements of the Natural Medicine Health Act to conduct a psilocybin healing administration session under the state regulated program. However, the models forms have not yet been finalized or released. There […]

July 2025 Psychedelic Law Update
Denver Local Natural Medicine Licenses Now Available The City of Denver is requiring a local license fornatural medicine healing centers that allow original facilitators to practice as a result of Denver City Council unanimously approvingCouncil Bill 25-0132in March. Healing centers with only clinical facilitators are exempt from the local licensing requirements. Natural medicine cultivating, manufacturing […]

June 2025 Psychedelic Law Update
NMHA System is Live with Licensing of Testing Facility – Medicine available With the licensing of the first testing facility in Colorado, the regulated natural medicine supply chain is complete and the program is fully launched for operations. The state issued a compliance tip guidance on testing. See the guidance here. McAllister Law has a list […]