Dear Community,
We hope this message finds you and your family safe and well. These past few weeks have presented unprecedented challenges to all of us.
We have prepared a brief operational guideline, below, for Colorado medical and retail marijuana dispensaries. We realize it may be difficult to navigate the various orders that have been issued and want to provide some guidance.
The current stay at home order in effect in Colorado is the Third Updated Public Health Order 20-24, Implementing Stay at Home Requirements, dated April 1, 2020. You can find the order here .Boulder County, Jefferson County, Arapahoe County, Adams County, and Douglas County have each formally rescinded their local level stay at home orders and adopted the state’s order. See the announcement here .
Similarly, the City of Denver amended the Denver Stay at Home Order to adopt the State of Colorado’s CDPHE Stay at Home Order. All subsequent State of Colorado Stay at Home Orders are automatically adopted by the City of Denver. It is unlawful to violate the stay at home order, and any person who fails to comply with Denver’s Order may also be subject to a civil penalty of up to $999.00. See the Order here .
Stay at Home Requirements for Medical and Retail Marijuana Establishments
MEDICAL MARIJUANA - Pursuant to the Third Updated Public Health Order 20-24, Implementing Stay at Home Requirements in Colorado, Section III(C)(4), medical marijuana dispensaries are critical businesses that are allowed to operate as normal, but only for the sale of medical marijuana, and may also include curbside pickup. These businesses must comply with the guidance and directives for maintaining a clean and safe work environment issued by the CDPHE, and any applicable local health department. Critical Businesses must comply with Social Distancing Requirements, including, but not limited to, when customers are standing in line, and all PHOs currently in effect to the greatest extent possible and will be held accountable for doing so. These rules are in effect until April 11, 2020.
RETAIL MARIJUANA - Pursuant to Executive Order D 2020 011, (II)(c), attached, retail marijuana stores are allowed to operate for the purpose of online sales of retail marijuana and retail marijuana products, only if the stores facilitate pick up by consumers twenty-one (21) years of age and older in a manner consistent with social-distancing guidelines promulgated by the CDPHE, for a period of thirty (30) days until April 18, 2020.
SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS - Social Distancing Requirements are as follows: To reduce the risk of disease transmission, individuals shall maintain at least a six-foot distance from other individuals, wash hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds as frequently as possible or using hand sanitizer, cover coughs or sneezes (into the sleeve or elbow, not hands), regularly clean high-touch surfaces, and not shake hands.
REDUCE TRANSMISSION AMONG EMPLOYEES – The CDPHE recommends that employers actively encourage sick employees to stay home. Employees who have symptoms, or who have a sick family member at home, should follow the CDC recommendations available at the following link. Employers are also encouraged to educate employees on how they can reduce the spread of COVID-19.
MAINTAINING A CLEAN AND SAFE WORK ENVIRONMENT – The CDC has issued the following recommendations for businesses to maintain an clean and safe work environment: consider improving the engineering controls using the building ventilation system; support respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene for employees, customers, and worksite visitors; perform routine environmental cleaning and disinfection; perform enhanced cleaning and disinfection after persons suspected/confirmed to have COVID-19 have been in the facility; advise employees before traveling to take additional preparations; and take care when attending meetings.
For the CDS’s complete Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), please review the following link here
For updates on CDPHE’s public health orders related to COVID19, please follow this link.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us and ask.
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