Colorado Collecting Record Cannabis Taxes, but Readers Wonder Where Money Is Going | Westword
Navigation

Reader: Colorado Is to Weed as Wyoming Is to Fireworks!

The state continues to break sales records.
Take that, Wyoming!
Take that, Wyoming! Tyler B Grimes
Share this:

click to enlarge
Take that, Wyoming!
Tyler B Grimes
Although more and more states are legalizing marijuana, Colorado is on track to collect a record amount from sales of cannabis in 2019. May 2019's sales set a monthly record, and they were even higher the next month, according to the state Department of Revenue.

Colorado dispensaries pulled in over $152 million in June, DOR numbers show — up over $9 million from the previous monthly record set in May, and nearly $10 million more than the record set just before that in March. And the numbers keep going up.

Explains Charles:
 None of the surrounding states have legalized yet, so Colorado is to weed as Wyoming is to fireworks.
Responds Chris:
 I am picturing this as a new SAT question, Colorado is to weed as Wyoming is to _________?
Says Dina: 
Only in Colorado could records be like this level cool.
Suggests Marcus: 
They ought to be ashamed for taxing it in the first place. Give it away instead and help people! I guess money matters most...sadly. Love always.
Notes Phillip: 
Colorado needs to spend some of that big money fixing the roads. Went there in June. Had a blast, but the roads are in really bad shape
Adds John: 
Come to Colorado, smoke pot and just hope you don’t crack a tooth while driving on our roads! Roads are horrible and I just wonder where the money goes.
  Suggests Jeremy: 
I’m just wondering why some of this fantastic profit can’t be spend on helping the homeless. The homeless need more access to resources, mainly medical care.
Comments Felicia: 
Yet Colorado struggles to give more funding to education, libraries, wanting to increase taxes. Where's all the revenue going?! There needs to be an audit.
Reilly replies: 
A quick google search can provide that answer for you, instead of just assuming or wondering where it all goes! Do your research before you write comments that make you look stupid! https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/revenue/colorado-marijuana-tax-data
As for how much money has been collected by the government, marijuana sales accounted for just under $25.9 million in tax revenue in June, and well over $262 million through the first six months of 2019, according to DOR data. And that doesn't count sales and excise taxes collected at the local level.

And keep this in mind: Sales pick up during summer tourism season. The most recent figures run just through June.

What do you think about Colorado's marijuana industry? Where the tax money is going? Post a comment or email [email protected].
KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.