What Pot-Themed License Plates Got the Highest Bids in Colorado's RMV Auction?

cannabis license plates

History was made in Colorado in April 2021 when the first ever cannabis vanity plate auction took place. This auction was a way for cannabis enthusiasts to show their love and support for the legalization of cannabis, with the proceeds channeled into an important course. At the event, the rights for fourteen different official state license plates were auctioned to private individuals. The auction was set up to raise funds for the Colorado Disability Funding Committee.

The license plates were all cannabis-themed and quite catchy. The list of the fourteen cannabis-themed license plates are; ISIT420, BONG, GREEN, HONEY, GANGA, HERB, INDICA, HASH, SATIVA, INDICA, GOTWAX, HAPPY, TEGRIDY (which refers to a fictional cannabis farm in Colorado) and STASH. All of these license plates make reference to the cannabis culture prompting marijuana enthusiasts to show their support. The Colorado Disability Funding Committee is an establishment that makes life easier for people who live in Colorado with disabilities to obtain and retain benefits.

The Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis while speaking about the event said "Colorado is proud of our creativity and ingenuity. We've been a leader in the cannabis space for over a decade, and this effort allows us to fund critical projects and programs in our disability community". Indeed the auction was a big success, as thousands of dollars was raised for the Colorado Disability Funding Committee.

The Way The Cannabis Vanity Plate Auction Went

The cannabis vanity plate auction lasted seven days running from April 13 to 4:20 p.m. on April 20. The closing date was set in reference to the global 4/20 holiday on April 20. Winning the auction for a particular plate meant that the winner got exclusive rights to use the configuration (of the license plate) at a later date. In what was an interesting turn of events, the license plate bearing the configuration ISIT420 got the highest bid at the auction. The highest bids for each license plates are as follows:

ISIT420 - $6,630,
TEGRIDY - $4,930,
BONG - $3,890,
GREEN - $3,510,
GANJA - $3,500,
HONEY - $3,450,
HAPPY - $3010,
HERB - $2,800,
INDICA - $2,710,
HEMP - $2,510,
HASH - $2,500,
SATIVA - $2,210,
GOTWAX - $1,890,
STASH - $1,860.

Following the success of the event, the state announced that another cannabis vanity plate auction will hold in 2022. A commendable part of the auction was the message against driving while high, which was put up on the official site. The message read "Don't drive while high! Please use cannabis responsibly within the limits of all Colorado laws"

How Colorado Spends Its Marijuana Money

The legalization of marijuana in Colorado has resulted in huge benefits for the state. The taxes on marijuana sales have contributed to the state revenue. In the year 2019, Colorado recorded $1.75 billion in sales of cannabis. This money comes from the three different taxes on marijuana sales. These taxes include a 2.9 percent tax on recreational and medical marijuana sales, a 15 percent excise tax as well as a 10 percent tax on retail sales, which is referred to as a special sales tax. The government of Colorado uses the revenue gotten from these taxes on a handful of projects. Some of the projects that have benefited previously from these taxes are highlighted below.

Out of the excise tax that is collected every year, $40 million is allocated for the BEST project. BEST stands for Building Excellent Schools Today, a project that was set up to fund the renovation and reconstruction of buildings that are in bad state in public schools in the state. Public schools and education providers can apply for these funds.
In 2017, over $18 million allocated to the Department of Public Health and Environment. This funding was aimed at bankrolling a lot of programs which include, the Marijuana Education Campaign as well as provision of substance abuse prevention grants.
The Department of Agriculture has also been a beneficiary of the marijuana tax previously, receiving $3 million in 2017 for projects that include FAA programs, inspection services and pest control.

Money from marijuana taxes has been used to support other government projects that include literacy programs as well as bullying prevention programs in schools.

Cannabis Culture In Colorado

Colorado has one of the most interesting cannabis culture in the whole of the United States of America. With a great cannabis industry that is consumer-driven, the cannabis culture in the state is definitely one to experience. Colorado has about 520 recreational dispensaries so you can be sure to find legal cannabis somewhere close to you. If you are in Colorado on a trip or even a local who is getting used to the cannabis culture, below are a few things to know before visiting a recreational dispensary.

You must be 21 or older to be allowed into a recreational dispensary.
You need to be in possession of a valid ID. A state-issued ID, passport or drivers license will suffice.
Having this will save you any stress, and an attendant will be waiting to take you into the beautiful world of Colorado cannabis.

Rules Guiding Cannabis Consumption

There are certain rules guiding the consumption of marijuana in Colorado, which are very important to note. Some of these rules are as follows:

As a recreational consumer of marijuana, you can only buy one ounce of cannabis from a certain dispensary in a day. However, you can visit as many dispensaries as you wish to, in one day.

Smoking cannabis in public is illegal. You can however smoke privately in a marijuana friendly hotel or a consumption longue. You are also only allowed to take one ounce in these locations.

Driving while high is illegal, and is regarded as a DUI. So do not drive while high.

What do you think of this event? What do events like these mean to the overall development of the cannabis industry, are they a significant step in the right direction? Let us know in the comment section below.