{"id":10626,"date":"2025-02-11T18:19:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T18:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/?p=6918367"},"modified":"2025-02-11T18:19:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T18:19:59","slug":"new-colorado-springs-marijuana-ballot-question-goes-up-in-smoke-as-judge-calls-foul-on-officials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/new-colorado-springs-marijuana-ballot-question-goes-up-in-smoke-as-judge-calls-foul-on-officials\/","title":{"rendered":"New Colorado Springs marijuana ballot question goes up in smoke as judge calls foul on officials"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/new-colorado-springs-marijuana-ballot-question-goes-up-in-smoke-as-judge-calls-foul-on-officials\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<div><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/new-colorado-springs-marijuana-ballot-question-goes-up-in-smoke-as-judge-calls-foul-on-officials.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Colorado Springs may not place a measure on the April municipal election ballot asking voters to overturn a recent citywide vote to allow recreational marijuana sales in the state\u2019s second-largest city, a judge ruled this week.<\/p>\n<p>El Paso County District Judge Hilary Gurney on Monday placed an injunction on the city, prohibiting it from referring a measure to the April 1 ballot. If passed, that measure would effectively <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/01\/19\/colorado-springs-recreational-marijuana-ballot-measure-legalization\/\">reverse the voters\u2019 will on Ballot Question 300<\/a>, which allows medical marijuana stores in Colorado Springs to start selling recreational pot.<\/p>\n<p>Voters approved Question 300 with nearly 55% support in the Nov. 5 election. But last month, a majority of the Colorado Springs City Council argued that voters were likely confused by the measure\u2019s language \u2014 and by a competing ballot item that would have prohibited recreational sales.<\/p>\n<p>They concluded a new question on the topic was required in the city\u2019s spring election, and they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2025\/01\/29\/colorado-springs-recreational-marijuana-ballot-measure-city-council\/\">referred a ballot measure to that ballot<\/a>. Two Colorado Springs residents sued the city three days later.<\/p>\n<p>In her ruling, Gurney wrote that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2012\/11\/06\/coloradans-say-yes-to-recreational-use-of-marijuana\/\">Amendment 64<\/a>, the Colorado recreational cannabis legalization measure passed statewide more than 12 years ago, makes it clear that \u201cany initiated or referred measure to prohibit the operation of \u2026 retail marijuana stores must appear on a general election ballot during an even numbered year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTherefore, referral of the prohibition measure to the April 1, 2025, general municipal election violates the Colorado Constitution,\u201d she wrote. \u201cSuch question must appear on a general election ballot during an even numbered year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The plaintiffs in the case argued that placing a measure on the spring ballot, when voter turnout is expected to be far lower than in the November presidential election, was the conservative city\u2019s backdoor way of reversing the voters\u2019 will.<\/p>\n<p>One of the plaintiffs, U.S. Air Force veteran Adam Gillard, celebrated the ruling and said in a statement that the court \u201chas held the council accountable for its outrageous and unconstitutional actions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hope city council members received the judge\u2019s message that they do not have absolute authority over their residents. We also hope they won\u2019t disregard the law again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Tom Scudder, president of the Colorado Springs Cannabis Association, told The Denver Post Tuesday that the industry is \u201cdelighted\u201d by the ruling.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related right\"> <\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t think there was ever any question on what the decision would be,\u201d he said. \u201cWe remain surprised that the city decided to take this position given the clarity of the constitutional language in Amendment 64.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Colorado Springs spokeswoman Vanessa Zink on Tuesday wouldn\u2019t specifically say if an appeal was in the works, but she said the city was \u201cexploring all procedural options available.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Colorado Springs has long allowed medical marijuana sales and there are close to 90 dispensaries in the city.<\/p>\n<p>But recreational cannabis has never been permitted. If Monday\u2019s ruling stands, the city is expected to begin accepting applications for recreational licenses this month, with the first licenses expected to be issued in April.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.denverpost.com\/dp\/preference\">Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Originally Published: February 11, 2025 at 11:00 AM MST<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><\/div>\n<p>El Paso County District Judge Hilary Gurney on Monday placed an injunction on the city, prohibiting it from referring a measure to the April 1 ballot. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10693,6834,5062,52,6811,6857,7333,10739,8219,6897,784,6892,7938,77,5577,7816,6815,5667,6858,56,9,5019,441,7243,6845,1,3,61,1736],"tags":[10696,6836,5063,2632,6816,6859,7334,10743,40,6898,3357,6893,7939,2655,5580,7818,6820,5673,6860,2636,5022,3015,7244,6846],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10626"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10626\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}