A Colorado legislative committee is urging fellow lawmakers to reject a bill that would put a measure on the state’s November ballot asking voters to increase marijuana and alcohol taxes to support mental health treatment.
At a meeting on Thursday, the bicameral Capital Development Committee (CDC) took up the proposal from Rep. Bob Marshall (D) and Sen. Judy Amabile (D) that aims to hike taxes on the substances and put the additional revenue toward the creation of a mental health fund overseen by the state Department of Human Services (DHS).
Members of the panel voted unanimously (5-0) to send a letter to the House Health and Human Services Committee recommending that the panel reject the legislation, HB 1301, when it’s taken up at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
If the bill is passed by the legislature, voters across the state would then decide on increasing the state retail marijuana sales and excise taxes by 0.42 percentage points each at the ballot this coming November. Alcohol taxes by volume would also increase for the first time in more than 30 years, by varying levels depending on the product type.
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