Denver Cannabis Tax Revenue Used For After-School and Summer Youth Programs
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]fter much discussion about how Colorado should use tax revenue from cannabis sales, Denver will be using a portion of the taxes collected by the city to fund cannabis prevention education in 20 after-school and summer programs throughout the city.
According to the Denver Department for Excise and Licenses, the educational project will be made up of a ten-hour curriculum split into two courses for teenagers and kids in middle school. Working with the Denver Office of Children’s Affairs, Excise and Licenses is using a portion of the 3.5 percent special sales tax on cannabis products to help fund the Healthy Lifestyles courses. Healthy Lifestyles is designed to clear up myths about cannabis and teach students about the unique cannabis laws in Colorado. The course was funded by a $1.5 million allocation of tax revenue collected in 2017.
Denver’s cannabis tax revenue helps fund 43 after-school organizations, including the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver and the YMCA. Near the end of 2017, tax revenue was also directed to High Costs, a program aimed at high-school students that helped raise awareness about the dangers of consuming cannabis at a young age. The Denver Parks and Recreation department received $4 million dollars in funding earlier this year for various local projects. The city also planned to spend $27 million in 2018 to repave streets, with $1.2 million of the money coming from cannabis.
The special sales tax was created to fund city efforts related to implementing legal cannabis. Although the tax currently sits at a 3.5 percent rate, the tax could be raised as high as 15.5 percent. In April, Mayor Michael Hancock proposed increasing the tax to 5.5 percent to help fund affordable housing. The increase would add a projected $8 million to the city’s budget, while adding around $1 of extra sales tax on a $50 purchase.
