Colorado Springs, Colo. – The Your Choice Colorado Springs campaign turned in more than 98,000 signatures to the Colorado Springs city clerk’s office today, more than 2.5 times the necessary amount required to place two initiatives to legalize and tax recreational marijuana sales on the November 2022 ballot, campaign leaders announced.
“In less than three months we collected nearly 100,000 signatures from Colorado Springs voters to support these two ballot initiatives. This type of citizen-led effort is unprecedented in Colorado Springs and demonstrates a strong desire among Colorado Springs voters to finally end the senseless ban of recreational marijuana sales in our community,” said Your Choice campaign manager Anthony Carlson. “Every year our community loses a minimum of $15 million to neighboring communities through lost tax revenue. This November, the choice to allow recreational cannabis sales and to bring those tax dollars home will finally be taken out of the hands of a few politicians and given to the voters of Colorado Springs.”
The ballot measures will ask residents to legalize retail cannabis sales and impose a 5% sales tax on recreational cannabis, with revenue going toward improving public safety, expanding mental health services, and to PTSD programs for veterans. If passed by the voters, recreational sales will bring new tax dollars to Colorado Springs that are currently going to nearby municipalities as Colorado Springs residents travel to surrounding cities to legally purchase adult-use cannabis. The measures would not allow additional cannabis retail stores in the city, but would rather permit existing medical cannabis retailers to sell recreational cannabis to adults. Annual tax revenue to the city if the measure passes is estimated at $15 million annually.
“It is completely legal to consume recreational marijuana in Colorado Springs. What’s not allowed is the sales of recreational marijuana. Colorado Springs residents travel to neighboring cities, purchase their cannabis, and bring it home to consume it in our city,” said lead elector and small business owner Karlie Van Arnam. “I look forward to the day when these tax revenues created by Colorado Springs residents stay right here in Colorado Springs and provide health and safety benefits to our citizens and our veterans. We will be working day and night from now until Election Day to ensure that day comes soon.”
Those who want to get involved to finally bring recreational cannabis sales to Colorado Springs can visit YourchoiceCoS.org to express their interest in volunteering.
