Governor Polis Declares No Punishment for Professionals Who Use Marijuana Legally in Colorado

On Thursday this week, Colorado’s Governor Jared Polis issued an executive order where he vowed that Colorado will not hold any prejudice or prevent applying for professional licenses because of out-of-state convictions for marijuana-related offenses.

Governor Polis wrote, “There is a workforce shortage in Colorado. Employers are having difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified employees, many of whom need professional licenses. The exclusion of people from the workforce because of marijuana-related activities that are lawful in Colorado, but illegal in other states, hinders our economy and our state.”

Polis’s order also addressed the state Department of Regulatory Affairs, the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division, as well as to the state Department of Revenue’s business regulatory division. He said they should all do whatever was necessary to ensure that no one was subject to disciplinary action or disqualification for professional licensure for a marijuana charge that is currently legal in Colorado.

The governor’s order also prohibited state agencies from doing anything to help other states who are trying to sanction an individual’s professional license in their state, if that’s because of that person participating in marijuana related activities while in Colorado, which are legal there.

​The governor did also note that the state will still make exceptions to that rule if it is bound by a court order.

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