Cannabis in Boulder

Legal age

21+, photo ID

Purchase limit

1 oz flower per day (possession limit 2 oz)

State retail marijuana tax

15%

City of Boulder tax

3.86% sales tax + 3.5% recreational marijuana tax = 7.36%

Boulder County tax

1.335%

State 2.9% sales tax

Not applied to retail marijuana

Consumption lounges

None; council has not taken up hospitality licenses

Why Boulder receipts look different from Denver's

Boulder layers its own recreational marijuana tax on top of city sales tax. The City of Boulder charges 3.86% sales tax plus an extra 3.5% on recreational marijuana, 7.36% in total, while medical marijuana pays only the 3.86%. On top sits Colorado's 15% retail marijuana sales tax, and retail marijuana is exempt from the 2.9% state sales tax, per the Colorado Department of Revenue.

Can you smoke on Pearl Street or the CU campus?

No. Colorado and Boulder bar consumption in public, including streets, sidewalks and places open to the public, so the Pearl Street Mall and parks are out. Visitors staying in hotels should ask before lighting up, since property owners set their own rules. Boulder has not licensed any marijuana hospitality establishments. The city's Cannabis Licensing and Advisory Board recommended opting in during 2023, but city staff noted the topic was not on the council work plan.

Shops with full Verdex profiles

Boulder has many small independent stores, and a single owner can hold an interest in at most three city dispensaries or medical centers. Full profiles so far cover The Farm and Terrapin Care Station, plus local producers Green Dot Labs and Wana. Statewide rules are on the Colorado page. The other 16 licensed sellers appear in the city listing with their license data while profiles are being built.