What We Do

Creating a Model for Self-Regulation

Government regulation alone will not quell the public fear of the medical marijuana industry or create trust with elected officials, regulators, and communities. The Cannabis Business Alliance will work with all sectors of the medical marijuana industry to produce new industry self-regulation programs to demonstrate that credible, accountable, transparent self-regulation programs can work to advance the shared interests of our patients and our business.

Responsible Vendor Program

The Cannabis Business Alliance has contracted with Matt Cook (former director of the Colorado Department of Revenue Enforcement Group) to convene industry stakeholders to create the first medical marijuana responsible vendor program in the country.

A responsible vendor program has been in place in Colorado since 2004 for the sale of alcoholic beverages.  It has proven to be successful in preventing the misuse, illegal use, and abuse of alcohol in our state by setting standards for vendors and their employees and customers regarding selling, serving, and consuming beverage alcohol.  The program is not mandatory for obtaining a license, but it is a “best practices” model  and CBA believes it could also be a successful template for ensuring the responsible sale of medical marijuana for the businesses that op-in.

The Cannabis Business Alliance is also working with Matt Cook to develop the employee training program that will compliment the responsible vendor policy.  This program will be available in the coming months at a reduced cost to members.

Cooperatively Rebranding the Marijuana DUI Campaign

In August The Cannabis Business Alliance, along with Kush Magazine, met with the Colorado Department of Transportation to determine the most effective collaboration with the medical marijuana community to help spread the message on medicating responsibly to avoid a DUI. The original messaging was one of fear, but we worked cooperatively with stakeholders to use positive messages to encourage responsible behavior.

The result can be seen here.

In addition to this success, we also worked with Dr. Alan Shackelford, CBA board member, to place an article in Kush Magazine informing readers on recognizing the signs that an individual is unsafe to drive.

In the coming months the CBA will be collaborating with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office, The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and Dr. Alan Shackelford to conduct the first of its kind study on driving under the influence of medical marijuana with patients. This ground-breaking research will help provide a base-line for good policy on DUID in the State of Colorado.

CBA will also be working with the Colorado Department of Transportation and Dr. Shackelford to put together information pieces on medicating responsibly to make available to patients in medical marijuana centers. This campaign will be based on providing good information, rather than enlisting fear-based tactics.