Colo. increases penalty for selling pot to minors

DENVER, Colo. - Adults who sell marijuana to minors in Colorado can now face felony charges under a new law implemented in the state, CBS Denver reports.

Previously, shops caught selling marijuana to minors only received a fine and a slap on the wrist, according to the station. The tougher approach comes at the same time that recreational use of marijuana by adults was made legal in the state this year.

Ron Kammerzell with the Colorado Department of Revenue tells CBS Denver that under the new law, the penalty for a minor who buys pot has also been increased. It is now a Class 1 misdemeanor instead of a Class 2, which is significant.

"A Class 1 can generally have some jail time associated with it. A Class 2 does not," said Kammerzell.

If a minor buys pot from a person who at least three years older, in either a shop or on the streets, the seller could also face a felony charge under the new legislation. Kammerzell says the goal is to protect children and bring pot laws in line with alcohol regulations.

"This was another step to reinforce the importance of licenses, making sure to check folks for underage sales," said Kammerzell.

Security guard Kurt Britz checks IDs outside the 3D Cannabis Center in Denver in an effort to catch underage buyers trying to use fake IDs.

"We've caught a few. We've caught people trying to come in with other people's IDs, expired IDs, it's a real concern," Britz told the station.

Britz says he and his staff will fight to protect their store and that includes extensive training to identify false IDs.

"We're going to catch them and make sure we're not selling to any minors," said Britz.

Another new law states that pot shops can confiscate the IDs of minors who try to buy marijuana.