Recreational marijuana measures officially on Colorado Springs November Ballot
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- This November, Colorado Springs voters will have the chance to decide whether or not to legalize recreational marijuana sales in the city and impose a 5 percent sales tax on recreational cannabis.
Marijuana advocacy group Your Choice Colorado Springs needed to collect 19,245 signatures of Colorado Springs residents by June 20 to get the two measures on the ballot.
On Monday Your Choice Colorado Springs announced their campaign collected over 98,000 signatures.
"We have two initiatives that are going to appear on the ballot," said Anthony Carlson, Campaign Manager for Your Choice Colorado Springs. "The first one is to end the prohibition of recreational sales. The second one is to place a 5 percent special tax on it. That will go towards improving public safety, providing additional programs for mental health services, and then providing PTSD programming for our veterans.”
In a previous report, the group told KRDO the amount of signatures they collected sent a strong message of support for their cause to the city officials.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers has long since been against the efforts to legalize cannabis.
In a statement to KRDO Monday Suthers said:
"I remain vehemently opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana in Colorado Springs. There are no regulations in Colorado limiting THC levels which continue to rise and adversely impact young marijuana users.
In cities with recreational marijuana, it’s not paying for the full cost of the damage it's doing. Denver, in particular, offers a cautionary tale. In three years, it has dropped from No. 2 to No. 55 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings for best city to live. The pervasive influence of marijuana is a significant factor.
Approving the ballot issue could result in 115 recreational dispensaries in Colorado Springs. Ahead of the November election, I encourage our citizens to really think about what kind of city they want to live in, and what kind of city they want their children and their grandchildren to live in."
Mayor John Suthers
If the measures are approved by voters, no additional cannabis retail stores would be permitted in the city. Only existing medical cannabis licenses would be able to add recreational cannabis on the same premise as their medical location.
“Only the 115 cannabis stores that currently are allowed to sell medical, will be the only dispensaries allowed to sell rec," said Carlson. "To put that into comparison, right now there's almost five times as many liquor stores in Colorado Springs.”
If passed, Your Choice Colorado Springs says revenue from recreational sales would go toward improving public safety, expanding mental health services, and supporting PTSD programs for veterans.
"What we're going to be able to do with these dollars is to be able to funnel significant funding into making sure our community has the mental health resources available, and that our veterans finally have access to PTSD programs here in Colorado Springs," said Carlson. "And third, is public safety. Making sure that our first responders and our police officers have the resources they need to be able to make sure we're keeping our neighborhoods safe and vibrant as we grow."
Your Choice Colorado Springs says their next step is to start door knocking for their campaign, to explain their measures and make sure people are registered to vote.
But from what's already been expressed by the Mayor, it's likely the group will face a strong campaign against their push over the next several months.
