A bill that would have created a licensing system for pop-up events that allow cannabis use was stomped out by one of its sponsors.

Since Colorado became the first state to allow recreational sales in 2014, cannabis users have been calling for more avenues for social consumption. But even with almost 700 dispensaries currently licensed across the state, cannabis hospitality’s progress has been slow, with just three licensed and operating lounges in the state, all in Denver, and a small handful of weed-friendly tour services.

Private cannabis hospitality venues and services have been operating since legalization, but events using that approach tend to have smaller attendance, require forms of invitations or registration beforehand, and are often disputed by local authorities. Cannabis industry stakeholders, event organizers and pop-up chefs have been calling for temporary hospitality permits as a way to support the state’s cannabis culture and help spur small businesses, but have struggled to gain momentum with lawmakers and licensing officials.

Introduced in February by Rep. Naquetta Ricks of Aurora, House Bill 26-1117 proposed a permitting system within the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division that would have allowed event organizers to apply for temporary cannabis consumption licenses at more traditional event spaces and locations without having to apply and pay for a year-long permit, which comes with a long and expensive list of building renovations and prohibits businesses from possessing a liquor license.

The measure moved through the Colorado Legislature slowly, but cleared the House early this month thanks to amendments further restricting where and how pop-up cannabis events could be held.

But with less than a week left in the 2026 session, HB 1117’s sponsor in the Senate, William Lindstedt, pulled the bill.

The senator’s office did not respond to requests for comment. Before requesting that his colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee kill the bill, Lindstedt called it “kind of a weird circumstance” and blamed a fiscal note that “wasn’t up to date.”

Cannabis hospitality “always seems to be a difficult issue to find a solution for,” he told the committee on May 7. “I support the bill.”

However, HB 1117 lacked support from a critical area: the cannabis industry. According to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, only one cannabis-related organization, the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council, had registered in support of the bill, while the vast majority of business owners and event organizers stayed silent or asked for significant amendments.

If the measure had been approved, events would have been open to those 21-and-up and confined to areas the public could not view. Local governments would have needed to opt into the law, as well.

The proposed bill banned cannabis sales at all pop-up events and required a licensed venue owner or tour service operator to take part in organizing, both of which were points of contention from the start. Later amendments added more application licensing rules, including one requiring that THC warning pamphlets be handed to event-goers upon entry, and another banning events from being held at venue licensed to sell alcohol, cannabis or tobacco; in previous drafts, those venues were allowed to hold cannabis events as long as sales were suspended.