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