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Take Action: Urge JBC to Fund MED with Marijuana Tax Revenue to Prevent Fee Increases on Businesses

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Colorado Leads is urging members of the Colorado cannabis industry to take action this week to help prevent additional marijuana licensing fee increases in Colorado.

Please take a minute to contact the members of the state Joint Budget Committee (JBC) and urge them to approve the Department of Revenue’s request for marijuana tax revenue to cover the current deficit in the MED’s budget. Without these funds, the MED may need to raise fees on marijuana businesses.

See below for more information and instructions on how you can help.

What’s Happening

Last week, the JBC rejected the DOR’s request for $4 million from the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund (MTCF) to close a gap in the MED budget. Fortunately, the JBC scheduled a “comeback” meeting for later this month to revisit the decision.

The six legislators who make up the JBC need to hear from you about the economic challenges Colorado cannabis businesses are facing. It is unacceptable for them to force the MED to turn to our industry for more money, rather than providing the division with a small portion of the tax revenue our industry generates.

How to Help

  1. Copy and paste these addresses into an email to send a single message to all six JBC members:senatorrachelz@gmail.com, shannon.bird.house@coleg.gov, rick.taggart.house@coleg.gov, jeff.bridges.senate@coleg.gov, barbara.kirkmeyer.senate@coleg.gov, emily.sirota.house@coleg.gov
  2. In the body of the email, urge them to approve the transfer of MTCF funds to the MED. Let them know your role in the industry, describe the economic challenges facing it (and your business), and tell them we cannot afford additional fee increases. A sample is below, and here are some talking points you can use.
  3. Use this website to see if your home or any of your business’s facilities are located in any of the JBC members’ districts. If so, please call their office(s) or send them a separate email, identifying yourself as a constituent along with your message. JBC members’ info is included at the bottom of this message.

Sample Email

Dear Members of the Joint Budget Committee,

[Insert 1-2 sentences Identifying yourself and what you do in the cannabis industry.]

I am writing to urge you to approve the Department of Revenue’s request for $4 million from the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund to cover the deficit in the Marijuana Enforcement Division’s budget. The Colorado cannabis industry is facing an unprecedented economic downturn, and we cannot afford additional fee increases to close the MED’s budget gap.

[Insert 1-2 sentences about economic challenges your business is facing.]

As a whole, the Colorado marijuana industry has experienced multiple years of contraction, including the loss of well over 10,000 jobs in the past two years. Declining wholesale prices are impacting growers, a drop in sales is hurting retailers, and businesses that provide ancillary services and products are feeling the effects and cutting staff.

Cannabis businesses have created tens of thousands of jobs and generated billions of dollars in tax revenue for our state. Please help us continue to do so by distributing a small portion of that revenue to the regulatory agency that governs our industry.

Joint Budget Committee Members