State audit blasts Colorado's marijuana testing framework
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Regulatory gaps are limiting Colorado's ability to manage safety risks for weed products sold at dispensaries, a new state audit found.
Why it matters: These gaps could leave consumers exposed to unsafe products, marking another blow to an industry already facing an existential reckoning.
The big picture: The audit released Monday found major shortcomings in how Colorado tests marijuana, inspects businesses and alerts the public to potential health risks.
- Most products sold from 2023 through 2025 weren't consistently tested for contaminants or potency, the Office of the State Auditor said.
- Between January 2025 and December 2025, potentially harmful products were available for months before the Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) issued a public health advisory.
State of play: Colorado lacks a fully functional safety lab, leaving businesses to choose private labs to test their products.
- This increases the risk that unsafe products aren't properly tested, the audit found.
Threat level: MED's inspections are inconsistent, and can make key details unavailable for review, further limiting how risks are identified, audit manager Kate Shiroff said in a statement.
How it works: MED is responsible for licensing marijuana businesses and monitoring product safety, while the state public health department assists in testing cannabis products.
What's next: Auditors made 14 recommendations to strengthen oversight, including improving MED's safety framework, which the division agreed to partially implement by December 2027.