Even before the legislative session ended in May, Colorado Leads was preparing to fight a proposed November ballot measure—Proposition 119—to increase taxes on retail cannabis sales by five percent. The measure, backed by Gov. Jared Polis and former governors of both political parties, would have mandated the tax increase to fund a new education program characterized even by education experts as lacking accountability, transparency, and oversight.

Another initiative in Denver, Initiative 300—funded by an out-of-town, 29-year-old crypto-billionaire— proposed to raise marijuana taxes for pandemic preparedness research. Had both Prop 119 and Initiative 300 passed, Denver’s marijuana taxes would have been the highest in the country among the largest cities where retail cannabis sales are legal.

Leads formed a campaign committee, Cannabis Community for Fairness and Safety (CCFS), as a vehicle to fight the ballot measure. Despite being outspent 50 to one, Colorado voters defeated Prop. 119 (54-46), with majorities in 59 of the state’s 64 counties opposing the measure. Initiative 300 was also defeated, sending a clear message that voters in Colorado and the Mile High City think taxes on cannabis are currently high enough.