BEST Program - Rocky Mountain Voice

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice For years the story about Colorado's marijuana taxes and its schools ran in one direction. Sales climbed, revenue climbed, and a share of it went to a fund that helps districts repair aging buildings. When sales started falling, the natural assumption followed. Less marijuana money, less for schools. That assumption is incomplete, and the reason is buried in how the money is structured. The marijuana excise tax that flows to school construction has dropped to about the level the state constitution singles out for protection. The first $40 million collected each year is reserved for construction before anything else can touch it. Marijuana collections are now close to that line, which means the protected piece ...

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice When Colorado voters said yes to legal marijuana back in 2012, schools were a big part of the pitch. More than a decade in, the state has collected over 3.1 billion dollars in tax revenue. So where does it all go? That number still carries a certain weight. It suggests a level of impact that would be visible in classrooms across the state. But when the dollars are traced through the system, then stacked up against what it actually costs to run schools, the effect looks different. Not invisible. Just smaller than people tend to expect. A closer look at what schools receive In the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, Colorado collected about 231.1 million dollars in marijuana tax revenue, according to the state’s nonp...

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The marijuana money for Colorado schools shrank. A 2025 law decided where the rest goes.

Colorado collected $3.1 billion in marijuana taxes. Here’s how much actually reaches schools.

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