Westword
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Dear Stoner: After the last election, is it safe to say that Colorado Springs will never allow recreational marijuana sales?
Black Lotus
Dear Black Lotus: Never say never with cannabis. The recreational marijuana sales measure in Colorado Springs was beaten by an almost 9 percent margin, which isn’t exactly close, but there are a few reasons for hope when looking a little deeper. For starters, that 9 percent margin was fewer than 17,000 votes in an off-year election. Given that the population of Colorado Springs is currently estimated at over 500,000 and has grown by nearly 70 percent since 1992, there will likely be a lot more young people at the ballot box for future presidential elections, which draw larger, more diverse crowds of voters than midterms.
Colorado Springs voters rejected recreational pot sales in November.
Courtesy of Altitude Organic Medicine
Colorado Springs City Council could also legalize recreational pot sales if it were so inclined, but that’s probably not happening any time soon. The majority of the current council has vocally opposed retail pot for years, as has Mayor John Suthers. The cannabis industry knows that Colorado Springs and its 100-plus medical dispensaries are the last major domino to fall for pot sales, though, and it probably won’t stop trying, even if its political donors take a break for a year or two.
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Send questions to marijuana@westword.com.
