A Decade Later, Colorado Voter Support for Cannabi
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New surveys show that more than 10 years after voters in Colorado passed a ballot initiative making it the first state in America to legalize adult-use cannabis sales, voters don’t regret their decision. Results from one poll conducted by the Colorado Polling Institute show that about 67% of registered voters saw the reform as a positive change for Colorado. This poll’s results were published in March.
A separate poll carried out by Public Policy Polling (PPP) between April 8–9, 2024, determined that more than 71% of voters in the state thought marijuana needed to be legal and regulated in a way similar to alcohol. The survey polled 698 registered voters, with 70% of those polled noting that marijuana regulations didn’t need to be more restrictive than regulations on alcohol.
The PPP survey also determined that 56% of respondents believed that the state-legal cannabis industry had a positive impact on Colorado’s economy, with an additional 63% noting that cannabis tax revenue was good for the state. These results show that voters in Colorado have increased their support for legalization since they approved Amendment 64 in 2012. At the time, only 55% supported marijuana legalization while 44% were against it.
Colorado Leads, an industry organization that represents licensed marijuana companies and ancillary businesses, stated that the results of both polls showed that support for legalization had significantly grown since voters made the choice to end prohibition and begin regulating cannabis for adult use. In a statement, Colorado Leads’ president Chuck Smith stated that there was more than a decade of experience showing that legalizing and regulating cannabis worked. Smith added that the state’s experience also proved that fears by those who opposed legalization were unfounded, noting that it wasn’t a surprise that there was less opposition to marijuana legalization now.
Thus far, the legal marijuana industry in Colorado has created countless opportunities for businesses and workers in the state. The PPP poll found that 21% of respondents had family members, friends or acquaintances who worked either for a company that provided services to the industry or directly for a cannabis business.
The industry has generated tax revenue that greatly surpasses initial expectations. To date, it has brought in more than $2.6 billion in tax revenue, which has been allocated to various programs including mental-health services and school construction projects.
A report released by Colorado’s Legislative Council Staff shows that the state generated more tax revenue from marijuana than cigarettes and alcohol during the previous fiscal year. The growing support for marijuana legalization even in states that have already passed laws ending prohibition is testament to the fact that as licensed companies such as Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) are allowed to operate, benefits such as job creation of the cannabis industry spread out to nearly every sphere of life in those communities.
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