Providing Options

It is common practice in the cannabis community to use funds collected from cannabis tax revenue and donate it to a good cause. Eagle County recently passed a measure to use its cannabis tax money to help improve the mental health offerings for locals.

“According to election results, the community overwhelmingly supports using marijuana tax revenue to create additional mental health and substance abuse services.”

Ballot Issue 1A passed with flying colors with over 73 percent of votes in favor, and it will now put cannabis revenue funds toward mental health treatment for community members. The goal is to help lower suicide rates and provide an outlet for those who would not normally have access to this type of health care service.

“Earlier this year, the Eagle County Board of Commissioners named ‘Increasing mental health and substance abuse services’ as a 2017 area of focus for the county,” explained Kris Widlack, director of communications for Eagle County Government. “We are seeing an increase in need, and currently residents have to travel one to two hours or more to find a better spectrum of services. With the realization that without new funding, Eagle County residents are likely to experience the status quo of inadequate services, the Eagle County Commissioners proposed a small tax on the local marijuana industry to go toward behavioral health services.”

Because recent law allows counties to impose excise and sales taxes on recreational cannabis in unincorporated areas, Eagle County now has more funds at its disposal to distribute cannabis tax money to a variety of different programs, instead of just using the funds to keep the county’s recreational program running.

“After a few years of allowing retail marijuana businesses to find their footing, we met with the industry and asked for their help in addressing behavioral health services,” Widlack continued. “They agreed. It appears our residents agree as well. According to election results, the community overwhelmingly supports using marijuana tax revenue to create additional mental health and substance abuse services.”

Mental Health Colorado has been a big proponent of the newly improved initiative, as it will allow more access to health care that is very much needed. “More than 10,000 people in Eagle County experience a mental health or substance use disorder each year, yet most go without treatment,” said Andrew Romanoff, CEO of Mental Health Colorado. “A bipartisan coalition of community leaders stepped up to address this crisis, and we are proud to have supported them.”

This measure represents a bright future for Colorado mental health, as well as for the cannabis community being positively involved in mental health issues.