COLORADO SPRINGS — Since Colorado legalized recreational sales in 2012, Colorado Springs is among the cities that chose to only allow medical marijuana sales.
More community members are speaking out for and against the proposed recreational marijuana sales tax questions coming to this November ballot.
“Recreational cannabis is already here,” says Anthony Carson, a member of Your Choice Colorado Springs.
The Your Choice Colorado Springs campaign acquired enough signatures to place two questions on the November ballot.
“Voters in this community are more eager to be able to finally have their voices heard,” Carson says.
The first question would allow 115 existing medical marijuana stores to transition to selling recreational marijuana.
The second question would place a 5% tax on marijuana sales to expand Post Traumatic Stress Disorder programs, enhance mental health services and funnel money into public safety.
“Right now we are forfeiting those sales to Manitou Springs, Pueblo and Denver,” Carson explains.
Those in favor of the question argue the city has lost $150 million in tax revenue by blocking the sale of recreational marijuana.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers says the campaign mirrors promises the marijuana industry made in 2012 that revenues would fix schools, fix roads and cut back on youth access.
“The negatives have far outweighed the positives,” Mayor Suthers explains.
He says little marijuana revenue has entered Colorado schools.
“When I talk to the superintendents of most of our school districts they say what marijuana has brought us is more marijuana in the school,” Mayor Suthers points out.
Mayor Suthers says, if community members want to see what recreational marijuana sales will bring to Colorado Springs just look North.
“Denver is somewhat of a cautionary tale, they had to close Civic Center Park, the stench of marijuana was just overwhelming,” Mayor Suthers explains.
Mayor Suthers wants community members to do something different and not promote marijuana.
“In a society that has mental health problems to start with it’s really exacerbating it, especially among our young people,” Mayor Suthers says.
Meanwhile on the other side, “This is about personal responsibility and freedom at its core,” Carson says.
FOX21 also reached out to the El Paso County Democratic Party member and State house candidate Stephanie Vigil who said, “The war on drugs has been a colossal failure. Banning a substance does not make it go away, but instead eliminates our ability to regulate it and manage any associated risks. In fact we see this very clearly in the substances most likely to be cross-contaminated by fentanyl– it’s not showing up in alcohol, or legal Colorado cannabis, but rather in black market party drugs and pain pills.”
Vigil continues to say, “Colorado voters, including a majority in El Paso County, voted ten years ago to legalize recreational cannabis, yet this right has been delayed in Colorado Springs by a city government that is not responsive to the will of the people. It’s time for us to claim that right for ourselves, and repatriate the revenue that we’re currently losing to neighboring cities.”
