A bill introduced in the Colorado Senate would require that a tracking agent be applied to medical and recreational marijuana and industrial hemp plants — even though the technology hasn't been invented yet. SB 029 calls for "an agent that is applied to a marijuana plant, marijuana product, industrial hemp, or industrial hemp product and then scanned by a device," in an attempt to improve marijuana tracking and help law enforcement officials distinguish where marijuana products originated. But some activists and businesses think the proposal goes too far.
The bill, sponsored by state senators Leroy Garcia and Kent Lambert and state representatives Dan Pabon and Yeulin Willet, calls for the tracking agent to be "applied" to the plants — which could mean spraying, rubbing, spreading and many other things — but notes that Colorado State University Pueblo must first develop the technology and tracking agent. Once the technology is developed, the state would find a sole vendor to sell the new tracking tech, with law enforcement agencies able to buy it thanks to a grant from marijuana tax revenue.
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