{
	"type": "rich",
	"version": "1.0",
	"provider_name": "Action Network",
	"provider_url": "https://actionnetwork.org",
	
	"html": "<link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/petition/vote-no-ballot-initiative-25?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-petition-area-vote-no-ballot-initiative-25' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div>",
	"author_name": "Colorado NORML",
	"author_url": "https://actionnetwork.org/groups/colorado-norml",
	"title": "Commit to a NO VOTE on Ballot Initiative #25 and Sign Your Name in Opposition TODAY!",
	"thumbnail_url": "https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/petitions/photos/000/301/258/normal/CO-NORML-Initiative25-petition_(1).png",
	"description": "DENVER, Colo - Seven years after cannabis was legalized for adult-use in our state, Colorado recreational cannabis taxes are seeing a 5% increase on the ballot. Vote NO in November! Now more than ever, your VOTE counts! Colorado, by law, created a 15% excise tax requiring $40 million to go towards the BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) Grant. In some cities the general sales tax rate is 4.31% and a special tax rate of 5.5% - with a combined extra tax of 9.91% on recreational cannabis. 30% taxes on any commodity is outrageous! Since retail sales became legal in 2012, 16.4% of the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund’s budget has gone to education initiatives and they’re 12.59% State Public School Fund used elsewhere. Lawmakers also set aside $25 million to help school districts set up full-day kindergarten programs, brought by cannabis consumers&#x27; relationship with the community. Since Jan of 2014, the city of Denver has raked in $294.5 Million alone… they want more? Year MJ Revenue 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 Total School Funding from MJ Rev. $86.3 Million $48.5 Million $90.3 Million Why does this matter? Excessive taxes on cannabis products will send patients and consumers back to the black market. Colorado needs to prioritize where the money is spent and if schools require more funding allocate more funds out of the already $2 Billion dollars of cannabis revenue and allocate some of those funds to highway and road construction. We have support for education, mental health, communal support and impact, along with youth drug prevention classes. Colorado need to utilize that $2 Billion in revenue towards lacking funds for education and after school programs. This Ballot Initiative is an unnecessary tax burden. Colorado’s total marijuana sales surpassed $2 Billion in 2020 - State dispensaries brought in $175,145,246 in Nov, a 17% increase from 2019 with the State reaping $32,383,094 in revenue from taxes and fees. When is too high too HIGH!? Thank you for taking the time to sign on and forward onto others - as a cannabis consumers organization who speaks for you, we can’t let this happen! Colorado doesn’t need to increase the sales tax of recreational cannabis 5% - we can stop that with your help! Vote NO on ballot initiative #25 - cannabis consumers are counting on us!",
	"url": "https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/vote-no-ballot-initiative-25"
}