CO Governor Supports Marijuana Delivery Services

Colorado was one of the first states to legalize recreational cannabis. However, it spent years working to legalize marijuana delivery as well. In 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) spoke publicly in favor of home delivery. His goal was to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the road.

Addressing Cannabis Impaired Driving

Marijuana-induced impaired driving was a hot topic at the National Governors Association’s 2019 Summer Meeting in Utah. There, MADD National President Helen Witty raised concerns about how legalization would affect road safety. Moreover, she spoke alongside the Centers for Disease Control and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Governor Polis, a staunch proponent of cannabis reform, then offered his own thoughts on the issue. “Colorado has long been a leader in cannabis reform,” the governor stated. “Our new efforts include allowing delivery of marijuana, so we’re moving away from the risk of people driving while impaired by having legal delivery to people’s homes.”

Colorado Touts Marijuana Delivery

In May 2019, Governor Polis signed House Bill 1234. The law legalized marijuana delivery in Colorado, provided local municipalities approved. As a result, home delivery was set to begin in 2020 for medical patients holding red cards. Then, beginning in 2021, recreational dispensaries could build their own delivery fleets, and third-party services would also be permitted.

Polis pointed to the state’s legislative achievements, saying, “We just passed the enabling legislation around that, beginning with medical marijuana and then moving to full regulated sale of marijuana so people exercise—in our state, it’s a constitutional right to use marijuana in their home—[that right] without the risk of them using it somewhere else and driving. We’re really looking at a wide variety of tactics to decrease that risk.”

Research Supports Delivery

The governor saw marijuana delivery services as a tool to curb impaired driving. After all, delivery gives consumers a convenient way to receive cannabis without getting behind the wheel. Moreover, his reasoning was echoed by the Reason Foundation, a California-based think tank.

A Reason Foundation analysis concluded that “There is little theoretical reasoning as to why delivery would increase the rate of impaired driving. It’s at least equally as plausible that delivery will keep already impaired individuals from driving to purchase more product.” In addition, the foundation’s Spence Purnell noted, “As many states have banned the use of marijuana in public, delivery may encourage more consumers to consume in the safety of their homes without ever having to leave.”

Ultimately, Colorado moved forward with regulated marijuana delivery under HB 1234. As a result, it became one of the early states to permit the practice. At the time, advocates hoped other governors would follow Colorado’s lead. They argued that delivery could keep impaired consumers off the road. Furthermore, it could improve access for those with disabilities or limited mobility.