Residents of Pueblo, Colorado found themselves voting on recreational cannabis all over again during this election, as Issue 200 asked voters whether or not the county should continue to allow the legal cannabis market to operate. Luckily for those working in the industry, a solid 55.63% of Pueblo voters chose to keep the cannabis industry in place within the county – saving over 100 growing facilities, more than 30 processing facilities and around 10 retail shops within the county from having to shut down within the next year.
“Banning legal cannabis sales in Pueblo would have pushed the jobs and taxes it has brought into another community or worse: the black market,” Malone said in a press release.
Along with voting on Issue 200, voters also got a chance to vote on Issue 300, which would have banned cannabis industry facilities within the city limits. That was squashed with 58.5% voting against it. There were two additional measures – one that did pass, no longer allowing retail stores within city limits, and one that did not pass that would have put one last additional tax on cannabis sales. While there was a small loss with the ban on retail shops within city limits, the industry at large will remain intact in Pueblo, which means the city can continue to reap the economic benefits.
In celebration of the county voting to keep their commercial industry up and running, a group called Growing Pueblo Forward, announced the building of the first national marijuana museum, which would provide education on the culture, history and science behind the mysterious cannabis plant. Considering Colorado was the first to pass an adult use law, and the first to get their industry up and running – and seeing as how Pueblo provides a large percentage of the state’s cannabis – it seemed like a logical move to the group.
“We were the first to legalize, regulate and tax adult-use retail marijuana, and now, the first to decisively defeat prohibitionists in a do-over vote,” Growing Pueblo’s Future spokesman, Jim Parco, said in a statement. “With our community’s rich history tied to marijuana, it is only fitting that The National Marijuana Museum should be located here (in Pueblo) — to be owned by the people, for the people.”
The people have spoken a second time in Pueblo – they wanted a legal and regulated cannabis industry in 2012 and they don’t want anything different now. Considering the fact that over 150 businesses have been built thanks to the legalization of cannabis, creating thousands of jobs, bringing in millions in tax revenue, creating scholarships and more, it’s no wonder that just as many people (and maybe even a few more) still want to see the industry flourishing.
