Pot Tax Fever

The ink is hardly dry on the results of the recent Colorado election and communities are starting to talk about who gets what and how much from new recreational marijuana taxes. Proposition AA is allowing two different taxes on the legal pot.

My question of our community leaders is if you are not allowing recreational marijuana in your area, should you take the tax money that will be collected and dispersed by the state. Manitou Springs is talking about recreational shops in the community and was waiting for the results of this election to decide on how to proceed. Mayor Marc Snyder says when it comes to any tax money from recreational marijuana, “Any tax revenues should go to those communities that are moving forward with licensing and regulating this new industry.”

I spoke with El Paso County Commissioner Amy Lathen about this tax money issue. El Paso County has said no to legal weed and any shops being set up in the county. She told me, “We know that there are going to be impacts simply because of the use of the drug and that doesn’t matter where it’s going to be sold. We will see impacts to the Department of Human Services, Department of Health, increase in work load for the District Attorney and to our Sheriff’s Office. Those are all services our county provides.”

Mayor Snyder said he wonders about all this forecasting about the impacts of recreational marijuana, “This is a new industry. It’s very hard to forecast what potential extra cost we may be experiencing.”

Recreational marijuana shops in Manitou will be discussed next Tuesday during a week session with city leaders to see where the city council may go next with the future of this industry.