A state audit found that Colorado's Marijuana Enforcement Division failed to protect consumers from contaminated products, with nearly 75% of marijuana processed for sale from 2023 through 2025 evading pesticide testing.
The audit, released Monday, identified inconsistent oversight and loose state rules. Regulators missed regular inspection schedules and did not conduct sufficient random checks at dispensaries. Delayed public warnings allowed potentially contaminated products to stay on shelves for months or years. In one case, unsafe products remained on the market for as long as three years before the agency issued a warning.
The audit found that contaminated products stayed on shelves for more than seven months on average from 2023 through 2025 before warnings were issued. The agency took three and a half months on average in 2025 to issue an advisory after launching an investigation into contamination, then an additional month to release it.
Auditors did not identify widespread health and safety issues but concluded that deficient regulations left consumers vulnerable. The report stated that "there is an increased risk that marijuana products sold in Colorado may have contaminants or that the potency listed on the labels is inaccurate."
A survey of Marijuana Enforcement Division investigators found that more than half said there are or may be widespread product safety issues in Colorado's regulated market.
The agency allows marijuana businesses to collect their own samples for testing. More than half of states with regulated marijuana markets rely instead on private labs or independent third parties to collect samples.
The Marijuana Enforcement Division said in a statement Monday that auditors found no evidence of widespread health and safety issues but agreed the audit identified areas for improvement. Senior director Dominique Mendiola said the agency would assess testing exemptions allowed under state law.