Office of the City Manager
Reference: Marijuana Retail Sales Discussion
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Jane Bais DiSessa, City Manager
Prepared By: Michael Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Date Prepared: 01/22/2021
PURPOSE
To determine Council's position on revisiting current prohibitions in place that bans the sale, cultivation, testing and manufacturing of marijuana and related products within Brighton City limits.
STRATEGIC FOCUS AREA
Financially Responsible
BACKGROUND
Beginning is 2000, the State of Colorado legalized medical marijuana under the Medical Use of Marijuana Initiative or Amendment 20, which amended the state constitution to allow patients to consume medical marijuana (passed by 54% of Colorado voters). From 2000 through 2009, retail sales were extremely limited and consumption was mostly based on a caregiver/patient model as outlined within the Amendment. On November 6th, 2012 Colorado voters passed Amendment 64 which ended the prohibition of marijuana with 55% voter approval. Amendment 64 permits adults 21 and older to possess or gift to another adult up to one ounce marijuana and up to six marijuana plants for recreational use.
As the first state in the nation to pass this type of legislation, Colorado has seen a significant financial windfall from recreational sales. As reported by the Colorado Department of Revenue on October 12, 2020, (since January 2014) Colorado's medical and recreational marijuana industry has generated $9,211,028,487 in marijuana sales and $1,490,596,791 in marijuana taxes and fee revenues. As of 2019, $200,000,000 of this tax revenue was applied towards School Construction- Capital Construction Assistance Fund and approximately $56,000,000 towards other Department of Education programs.
Starting in 2009, Brighton City Council began to consider allowing the sales, cultivation, testing and manufacturing of marijuana and marijuana related products within city limits. On Septem...
Click here for full text