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Ban On Pot Gummy Bears Signed Into Colorado Law

DENVER (AP) — The Latest on bills signed into law Friday by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper:

1:15 p.m.

Marijuana gummy bears won't be legal in Colorado starting next month.

Neither will marijuana products in the shape of any other animal. Or fruits. Or people.

A bill signed into law Friday by Gov. John Hickenlooper makes it a crime to sell pot-infused candies in certain shapes.

Sponsors say that gummy bears, gummy worms and chewy candies shaped like fruits are too attractive to children.

RELATED STORIES: Marijuana Legalization Story Archive

Colorado already requires edible marijuana to come with a stamp that says the item includes THC, marijuana's intoxicating ingredient. That requirement takes effect later this year.

The gummy bear ban takes effect July 1.

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1 p.m.

Colorado is starting a new Office of Fantasy Sports to regulate fantasy online sports leagues that pay jackpots.

A bill signed into law Friday by Gov. John Hickenlooper would charge fantasy betting sites a to-be-determined fee.

It also requires them to install certain safeguards, such as limiting players to adults over 18 and banning employees and their relatives from competing in the games.

Sponsors of the measure say it would send a strong message that Colorado considers fantasy sports jackpots games of skill, not chance, meaning they're permissible and not illegal gambling.

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12:45 p.m.

Two new laws bring Colorado into line with U.S. Supreme Court rulings that bar youth offenders from getting mandatory life sentences without parole.

The laws affect 48 Colorado inmates serving life without parole. The inmates were convicted of first-degree murder and other crimes committed as youths between 1990 and 2006.

Those 48 can seek — but are not guaranteed — new sentences under one bill signed into law Friday by Gov. John Hickenlooper.

A companion law allows youth offenders who've served at least 20 years to apply for an early parole transition program. Anyone who completes it still must seek clemency from the governor.

Colorado ended no-parole sentencing for youth offenders in 2006.

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12:35 p.m.

Colorado now requires notary publics who serve the Spanish-speaking community to tell their clients they cannot practice immigration law — unless they actually are.

A bill signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday is meant to protect Spanish-speaking immigrants from unknowingly hiring non-attorneys to represent them in immigration matters.

It requires "notarios (no-TAH-ree-ohs)," or notary publics, to advertise that they cannot practice immigration law unless they actually are authorized to do so.

Violators will face civil fines.

Notarios are attorneys in many Latin American countries. But Colorado attorneys say some take advantage of Spanish-speaking immigrants by claiming to be able to represent them in U.S. legal matters.

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12:20 p.m.

Colorado now has extra resources to combat one of the highest suicide rates in the nation.

Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law Friday a bill creating a model suicide prevention program.

It teams state agencies with health care providers, first responders, advocacy groups and others to better identify those at risk of suicide.

The bill signing was an emotional one. Two of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Linda Newell and Rep. Brittany Pettersen, lost brothers to suicide. They and others shed tears as the governor signed the bill.

Newell says Colorado has the seventh-highest suicide rate in the U.S.

Pettersen says the law is about saving not only lives but "saving families from going through this tragedy."

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11:50 a.m.

Inspired by the Bill Cosby rape allegations, Colorado has doubled the amount of time sexual assault victims can seek charges from 10 to 20 years.

Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law Friday a bill extending the statute of limitations for pursuing sex assault charges.

Democratic Rep. Rhonda Fields crafted the bill after being approached by two Colorado women who claim Cosby assaulted them decades ago.

Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred attended the bill signing. She has said such laws empower traumatized victims by giving them more time to come forward.

Cosby has denied abuse allegations made by women around the country. But he faces trial in Pennsylvania, where the comedian is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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