Voters in Colorado Springs (population: 489,000) decided on a pair of municipal ballot measures that paved the way for the licensed retail sale of adult-use cannabis products within the city's limits.
Voters on election day decided 55 percent to 45 percent in favor of Question 300, which authorizes existing medical dispensaries to sell cannabis products to adults. Approximately 90 dispensaries are currently operating in Colorado Springs.
Voters more narrowly rejected a separate ballot measure (Question 2D), which sought to impose a permanent citywide ban on adult-use marijuana sales. The measure failed by a margin of approximately one percent, according to results provided this week by the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder's Office. The results are not official until the Canvass Board certifies the vote count next Tuesday.
Prior to the election, city officials preemptively passed a zoning ordinance severely restricting where recreational marijuana dispensaries can operate. It remains unclear whether the voter-approved measures will supersede the city council's ordinance.
Colorado voters legalized adult-use marijuana possession and sales in 2012.
Source: NORML