Colorado Uses Cannabis Tax Revenue To Fight Bullying In Schools
How Cannabis Sales is Helping to Stop Bullying in Schools from CannabisNet on Vimeo.
If you need more evidence that your marijuana tax dollars is doing a whole lot of good, read on.
Your purchase of legal cannabis in Colorado is going a long way. The state has been known to do some very interesting things with the tax revenue that it’s earned, which according to the state has reached new highs of almost $117 million just in June this year.
Other ways that the state plans to use its tax revenue include:
Youth mentoring services
Drop-out prevention school grants
Marijuana awareness, education, and prevention campaigns
Poison control centers
Local government marijuana impact grants
Substance abuse services (screening, intervention, referrals, and treatment)
Future Farmers of America
4-H programs at the State Fair
Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement Training for peace officers
On top of all of that, the state is also setting aside funds to programs to address a problem that plagues families and societies: bullying.
The Colorado Education Department (CED) will be given a $2 million grant to fight bullying in schools. This is made possible by the passage of Proposition BB, which allows Colorado to keep $66 million in cannabis tax revenue which is allocated for the construction of educational institutions as well as state programs. Thanks to Prop BB, the CDE can now implement new anti-bullying programs. The grant was offered to around 50 schools for the 2016-2017 year. Each school will be the recipient of around $40,000 in grants to prevent bullying. Schools that are awarded the grant will also receive exclusive training from a professional prevention coach and will also establish a bullying committee composed of parents, teachers, and staff.
“It’s a lot of money,” according to Dr. Adam Collins, the CDE grant coordinator for bullying prevention and education, who spoke to Denver 7 about the program. He adds, ““It’s a great opportunity for schools to apply and make sure the social and emotional wellness of their students is taken care of.”
Bullying is no laughing matter; being a victim of bullying can traumatize individuals for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately today, bullying is still an issue that affects kids in schools across the country. It’s estimated that 1 in every 4 students, or 22% of students, have reported being victims of bullying yet 2/3 of these incidents go unreported, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics. Bullying has taken on new heights because of social media, and schools all over the country still struggle with harassment and bullying. Last year, Colorado passed a cyberbullying law named Kiana’s Law because a teen from Highland Ranch attempted suicide after receiving a several hateful messages over text. The teen, named Kiana Arellano, became a paraplegic after her failed suicide attempt and can no longer speak.
Supporters of marijuana legalization have long believed that tax revenues from legal pot sales will be beneficial for states that could make use of extra cash. In 2015, Colorado was able to collect more than $135 million in taxes. In June earlier this year, Pueblo County was able to allocate roughly $750,000 for college scholarships purely from cannabis excise taxes.
“As far as we know, we’re the only state that is providing such significant funds to prevent bullying in schools,” adds Dr. Collins. “We are excited to have these funds.”
Schools in Colorado can apply for the grant until October 21. The state will then announce the winning schools by December 30, and allocate the grant funds come January 2017.
How Cannabis Sales is Helping to Stop Bullying in Schools from CannabisNet on Vimeo.
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