Like alcohol, adult-use cannabis is legalized for those 21 and older in Colorado.

But a pair of state lawmakers introduced legislation last month that they said was grounded in the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) not doing enough to ensure cannabis isn’t sold to underage consumers.

In 2021, MED officials conducted 80 underage compliance checks in the state. At the same time, the state’s Liquor Enforcement Division conducted 2,400 underage compliance checks, CBS Denver reported.

In an effort to increase MED’s annual underage compliance checks, state Sens. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, and Kevin Priola, R-Henderson, authored legislation that would have required MED officials to conduct at least two compliance checks a year at each “medical and retail marijuana center.”

As of April 1, there are 414 medical cannabis and 655 “retail” cannabis dispensaries in Colorado, according to MED licensing data. Multiply those numbers by two, and MED would have been responsible for roughly 2,140 compliance checks a year under the legislation—more in line with the Liquor Enforcement Division.

However, the bill was postponed indefinitely on March 30 in a 6-1 vote by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.

“It wasn’t a bill that was anti-industry,” Hansen told CBS Denver. “It wasn’t a bill that was trying to come after any particular group. It was just saying to the Department of Revenue, which runs Marijuana Enforcement Division, ‘please do your job.’”

While Liquor Enforcement Division officials conducted 30 times more underage compliance checks than MED in 2021, they did so with half as many full-time employees, the news outlet reported.

In addition, the 80 MED compliance checks in 2021 was down 86.8% from the 604 underage checks the department conducted in 2019.

Before the bill was killed in committee, MED requested $1 million to comply with the possible passage of the legislation, Priola told CBS Denver.

“It seemed duplicitous in itself that you’re saying you’re already doing this, but if it does happen to pass into law, we need over $1 million to do what we’re already doing,” he said.

Hansen and Priola are now asking for an audit of MED, which the legislative audit committee would need to approve, CBS Denver reported.

Citing concerns over zoning and a lack of guidance from the state, officials from Horn Lake and Madison announced April 5 that their cities will opt out of participating in Mississippi’s medical cannabis program.

In Horn Lake, the state’s 10th largest city of roughly 27,500 people who reside just across the border from Memphis, Tenn., the board of aldermen voted, 7-0, to opt out but agreed to form a committee to work with state lawmakers on the possibility of opting in at a later date, The DeSoto Times-Tribune reported.

And in Madison, the state’s 14th largest city of roughly 25,500 people in the Jackson metropolitan area, council members unanimously opted out over what Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler called limitations on zoning authority, NBC-affiliate WLBT reported.

Hawkins Butler challenged the legality of citizen-led Initiative 65 leading up to the November 2020 election.

RELATED: Mississippi Mayor Challenges State’s Medical Cannabis Measure

Under the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act, legislation Gov. Tate Reeves signed into law on Feb. 2, municipalities have 90 days, or until May 3, to decide whether to opt out of allowing medical cannabis businesses in their jurisdictions.

Making Mississippi the 37th state to legalize medical cannabis without low-THC restrictions, Reeves’ ink came 456 days after voters approved Initiative 65 in the 2020 election. That ballot initiative was later struck down by the Mississippi Supreme court, motivating state lawmakers to act on the issue.

While much attention is on Jackson, Gulfport and Southaven—Mississippi’s three most populous cities—Horn Lake is the largest city to opt out so far. Brandon and Ridgeland, the state’s 15th and 16th largest cities, also opted out in early March.

Horn Lake officials stated a lack of clarity from the state Legislature as the reasoning behind their vote, the Times-Tribune reported.

“People need this. I get it,” Ward 4 Alderman Dave Young said. “The issue is, I don’t want us to be on the fall-down side of this and make a mistake that later on we are going to regret as a city. It’s coming. We know that. But we don’t need to be the mule stuck in the mud on this.”

In Madison, Hawkins Butler posted a statement on social media Tuesday to announce the city’s decision to opt out, WLBT reported.

“Our community is our priority,” the mayor said. “The limitations over our zoning authority, the waiver to allow dispensaries and grow facilities closer to our churches, schools and daycares without notice to the public, and the increased danger to our first responders are only some of the factors that guided our decision.”

Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite expressed similar concerns over zoning in the weeks following Reeves’ signing of the legislation, saying he wanted to consult with attorneys to determine if the law allows for the city to zone where dispensaries can operate before making a decision, FOX 13 Memphis reported.

The Mississippi Department of Revenue, which is responsible for licensing medical cannabis dispensaries in the state, has zoning guidelines available on its website under the “General Cannabis Dispensary License Information” section.

Some requirements for dispensaries include:

• Proof that main entrance of proposed location is not within 1,000 feet of the property boundary line of any school, church or daycare (Distance Waiver form required if within 1,000 feet)
• No medical cannabis dispensary may be located within a 1,500-foot radius from the main point of entry of the dispensary to the main point of entry of another medical cannabis dispensary
• Proof that location meets county or city zoning/sworn statement certifying proposed location is compliant with said restrictions
  

Meanwhile, in Tupelo, Mississippi’s seventh largest city of roughly 38,500 people residing in the northeastern part of the state, elected officials unanimously approved zoning parameters for growing and selling medical cannabis during a city council meeting April 5, the Daily Journal reported.

The approved ordinance was drafted using existing laws governing liquor sales and pharmacies as a blueprint to prohibit cannabis facilities from being located within 1,000 feet of churches, schools and childcare centers, the news outlet reported. The ordinance also includes a 1,500-foot buffer zone between dispensaries, per the Revenue Department guidelines.

While some city councils have already voted to opt out of allowing cannabis businesses to operate in their jurisdictions, 20% or 1,500 registered voters (whichever is fewer) may petition to put the question on their local ballots, according to Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).

Under the new state law, Mississippi officials have 150 days (the first week of July) to begin licensing dispensaries, according to MPP.

According to the Revenue Department, first-year licensees must pay a one-time $15,000 application fee and a $25,000 annual license fee.

In addition, the Mississippi State Department of Health announced plans to begin accepting online license applications in June for patients and medical practitioners, as well as cannabis cultivation, processing, testing and transportation facilities.

MINNEAPOLIS and WINNIPEG, Manitoba, April 06, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - Manitoba Harvest, a hemp foods brand and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tilray Brands, Inc., debuts their innovative Hemp+ Matcha and Hemp+ Supergreens powders exclusively at 300 plus Whole Foods Market locations nationwide, landing on shelves throughout April 2022.

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Manitoba Harvest's Hemp+ Matcha and Superfoods powders combine the power of hemp with complementary on-trend plant-based ingredients. Consumers can choose between the added benefits of Matcha-based caffeine or 8 Essential Vitamins & Minerals coming from Supergreens. Each serving contains 6 grams of plant-based protein and 2-3 grams of fiber from hemp.

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For a limited time, Manitoba Harvest's Hemp+ Matcha will be exclusively available in 348 Whole Foods Market locations, while the Hemp+ Supergreens will be available for purchase in 382 stores across North America. After 90 days, both products will continue to be available at Whole Foods Market and other locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.