Voters will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana sales in Colorado Springs and add a local tax to them in November. 

The Your Choice Colorado Springs campaign announced Monday morning in a news release that the Colorado Springs City Clerk’s Office validated more than enough signatures on petitions to place the companion questions on the ballot.

If approved by voters, one question would allow the 118 existing medical marijuana stores to transition to selling recreational marijuana. The shops could choose to sell both or transition completely to recreational marijuana. The second question would place a 5% tax on marijuana sales to fund post-traumatic stress disorder services for veterans, mental health services for the whole community and public safety, including police, fire and addressing the opioid epidemic.

“It is an exciting moment for the industry in town,” campaign spokesman Anthony Carlson said. 

Campaign to put recreational marijuana sales on Colorado Springs ballot collects 98,000 signatures

The campaign submitted 45,762 signatures to place the question allowing recreational sales on the ballot. The clerk’s office verified 21,568 signatures, which is above the 19,245 required, clerk’s data shows. 

The campaign submitted 51,862 signatures backing the tax question. The clerk’s office verified 20,858 signatures. The city required 19,245 signatures to put that question on the ballot as well. 

If voters legalized sales, shops could apply for a recreational sales license on Jan. 1 and start sales April 1, Carlson said. If both questions are approved, the combined special state and city sales tax on marijuana would be 20%.  

The voters could legalize sales and turn down the tax increase; if that happened, another campaign could be run to increase taxes. The voters could also increase taxes without legalizing sales and if that happened, it could be another tool that law enforcement could use against black market marijuana sales, Carlson said. He likened such enforcement to using tax law against bootleg liquor sales during Prohibition.

Citizens group resubmits petitions to put recreational marijuana sales on Colorado Springs ballot

Those in favor of the question argue the city has lost $150 million in tax revenue by blocking the sale of recreational marijuana, leaving residents to shop elsewhere, including Manitou Springs and Denver. Carlson said the estimate of lost revenues was done by an independent economics expert. 

Opponents, including Mayor John Suthers, have said in the past that the cost of regulating recreational marijuana would outweigh the revenue the industry generates. 

The 2021 report on marijuana legalization by the state’s Division of Criminal Justice found that between 2014 and 2020, the number of DUI tickets State Patrol issued for driving high on marijuana or high on marijuana in combination with another substance increased 120% from 684 to 1,508. The report also found the number of law enforcement officers in the state trained to recognize drug use increased from 129 to 221 from 2012 to 2020. 

Traffic fatalities related to marijuana have remained largely stable since recreational marijuana sales were legalized, at less than 8%, said Sam Cole, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Transportation. 

Colorado’s marijuana sales down in February compared to 2021, still higher than previous years

“I don’t think we have the data to say legalization has any measurable effect on traffic safety,” he said. Those people who were driving high prior to legalization are likely still at fault, he said. 

The much bigger problem is drivers using multiple substances, Cole said. Drivers who used alcohol, marijuana and another substance account for 40% of all crashes related to impaired driving and drivers who used alcohol and marijuana accounted for 35%, CDOT data shows. 

“Just a little bit of marijuana and a little bit of alcohol can lead to a big impairment,” Cole said.