Colorado legislation that would allow temporary marijuana hospitality events advanced out of the House Appropriations Committee today.

The Appropriations Committee voted 7 to 4 to send House Bill 1117, as amended, to the House Committee of the Whole. The measure, sponsored by Representative Naquetta Ricks (D), would allow licensed marijuana hospitality businesses and marijuana hospitality and sales businesses to host temporary events where adults 21 and older could legally consume marijuana.

The bill had already cleared the House Business Affairs & Labor Committee in March and the House Finance Committee in April. Its advancement from Appropriations places it in position for consideration by the full House.

Under the current version of the bill, local licensing authorities could create a framework to issue and regulate temporary marijuana hospitality event permits, but only if the local jurisdiction first adopts an ordinance or resolution authorizing such events. Unlike the earlier version of the bill, the amended version places the permit-review process primarily at the local level, with local officials reviewing applications and issuing permits.

A business would need to hold an approved marijuana hospitality business license or marijuana hospitality and sales business license to qualify. Applications would need to be filed with the local licensing authority at least 60 days before the proposed event, and each event would require its own permit.

The bill would limit temporary marijuana hospitality events to 72 hours and cap each permit holder at 15 events per calendar year. Permits would be nontransferable, and local licensing authorities would need to provide an appeal process if an application is denied.

The legislation would not allow marijuana to be sold, transferred or distributed at the temporary event. It also would bar events from being held in jurisdictions that have not authorized them, at premises licensed or allowed to sell or serve alcohol or tobacco, or at premises licensed to sell or serve regulated marijuana.

An amendment considered in Appropriations clarified language related to premises licensed or permitted to sell or serve alcohol or tobacco. A fiscal analysis prepared for the committee said the amendment eliminated the need for a state appropriation that had otherwise been tied to the bill.

The measure also requires educational materials to be provided at each entrance to the event premises. Those materials would need to include information on the dangers and penalties of driving while impaired by or under the influence of THC.

Marijuana consumption at a properly licensed temporary event would not be considered open and public consumption under the bill, provided the event is restricted to those 21 and older, the consumption area is obscured from public view, access is controlled through security personnel or credentialed entry, and the event complies with state and local laws, including noise, odor, air-quality and ventilation rules.