Pubdate: Wed, 23 Apr 2014
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2014 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: John Ingold
Page: 10A
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Cannabis - Popular)

CAUTIOUS CANNABIS BUDGET ADVANCES

The JBC will take a slow tack in spending the new tax revenues.

A Colorado legislative committee on Tuesday approved a cautious plan 
for spending marijuana tax revenue in the next fiscal year - coming 
more than $20 million below what Gov. John Hickenlooper had requested.

The plan approved by the legislature's Joint Budget Committee calls 
for $31.4 million - including $22.9 million from marijuana taxes - to 
be put into prevention of youth drug use, addiction treatment, 
research and public education campaigns. Hickenlooper originally 
requested to spend nearly $75 million but later scaled back his 
proposal to $54 million.

Hickenlooper's proposal would have spent marijuana tax money as it came in.

Joint Budget Committee members, though, opted for a more cautious 
plan, requiring that lawmakers not spend money from marijuana taxes 
until the year after it is collected to guard against volatility.

As a result, the committee's plan, which is set to be introduced to 
the full legislature this week, cuts back on even Hickenlooper's most 
bare-bones proposal for funding things like oral fluid testing 
devices for police looking to catch stoned drivers.

Committee members made several final tweaks to the plan Tuesday, 
shifting some of the money that was to be designated for youth 
marijuana-use prevention to adult drug treatment.

Sen. Pat Steadman, DDenver, said the plan initially felt weighted too 
heavily toward prevention and enforcement programs.

"I think it's wrong of us to miss the opportunity to dedicate a 
portion of these new revenues to treatment," he said.

The finalized plan won unanimous support from the committee. But Rep. 
Cheri Gerou, R-Evergreen, alluding to heavy lobbying on the spending 
plan, said it likely will change before it reaches Hickenlooper's desk.

"We're going to be picked apart as soon as this becomes public," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom