Until this year, the only increase to marijuana licensing fee was in 2012, when the MED created recreational pot licenses in light of statewide legalization.Operational fees for Colorado's 2,700-plus registered marijuana business licensees are definitely going up. In an announcement sent to marijuana business owners on July 5, the state confirmed that it had adopted the increased application and licensing fees as of July 1.
"There are new levels of fees related to ownership structures to match the complexity and increased workload that accompanies more complex ownership structures," the memo reads. While there have been no layoffs from the MED's staff of 105 employees, the DOR hasn't refilled vacant MED positions, according to Ferrandino. The department has also reduced the size of the main MED office in Lakewood and will be closing the MED's Colorado Springs and Longmont offices in efforts to save money.