Colorado Fentanyl Possession Laws: Charges, Penalties, and Enhanced Sentencing Risks
August 24, 2026
In Colorado, we love our guns. Fortunately, our state is one of the most reasonable ones out there regarding gun laws. However, any weapons charges resulting from illegal possession or carrying of a firearm are still harshly prosecuted, so it is important to know the law.
Colorado is an open carry state, meaning that people here may carry a non-concealed firearm. However, there are a few important restrictions regarding what kind of firearms can be carried and by whom. Further, [...]
Common sense dictates that bringing a loaded gun into an airport on your person is not a good plan – and indeed, it is illegal. However, what if you are otherwise carrying a gun legally, and accidentally bring it into the airport?
This actually happened recently to a Colorado state representative. She brought a loaded gun in her handbag to a security checkpoint, which was detected in the X-ray machine. She was then arrested on suspicion of introducing a firearm [...]
On June 27, the United States Supreme Court concluded a historic gun rights case by upholding a federal ban on individuals who have been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence from owning or purchasing firearms. The court voted 6-2 in favor of upholding the ban.
The case, Voisine vs. United States, involved two men from Maine: Stephen Voisine and William E. Armstrong III. Both men were petitioning for their right to own a firearm despite their past domestic violence convictions.
Stephen [...]
Microphones are being used to put a stop to gun crime.
Sounds like something out of science fiction, right? Or a ridiculous Saturday Night Live skit? But police in Denver allege that this powerful new technology, called the ShotSpotter, has helped them to catch two-thirds more gun crime after one year in use.
Not surprisingly, the Denver police department recently made the decision to renew and expand the Shotspotter program. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms provided funding for [...]
You may be able to carry a concealed weapon with a proper permit in Colorado, and you may be lawfully allowed to use recreational marijuana—but you can’t do both.
Advocates for gun rights in Colorado have been working on a proposed bill that would amend this statute, allowing lawful users of marijuana to obtain permits. According to a report from the Cortez Journal, proponents have been unable to collect the 98,492 signatures needed to place the initiative on the state [...]
Colorado fentanyl possession charges can become serious felonies at relatively low weight thresholds. The law focuses on the weight of the material, compound, mixture, or preparation containing fentanyl rather than only the amount of pure fentanyl inside it. That means a small-looking quantity of powder or counterfeit pills can result in a much more serious charge once the substance is tested and weighed.
Weight is only part of the case. What the accused person knew, whether the state can prove [...]
Colorado COCCA charges are racketeering charges used when prosecutors claim a person participated in an enterprise through a pattern of criminal activity. These cases often grow out of drug, theft, burglary, fraud, identity theft, or financial investigations that are later reframed as organized conduct.
A COCCA count is not automatic just because several people were charged together or because prosecutors believe more than one crime occurred. The state must prove specific structural elements, including an enterprise and a pattern of [...]
Most criminal cases in Denver do not end with a jury verdict. They end with a decision: whether to accept a plea agreement, reject the offer, keep negotiating, or prepare for trial. That decision can shape your record, your freedom, your sentence, your probation terms, and your future long after the court date.
A plea bargain is not just “taking a deal.” It is a legal agreement that may involve reduced charges, dismissed counts, sentencing limits, probation terms, restitution, treatment [...]