Originally Reported By Colorado Gazette
Feb 18, 2025
First day of recreational sales begins April 14
During the November presidential election, citizens of Colorado Springs voted to legalize local recreational cannabis sales. Following the decisive vote, attempts were made by local city council officials to overturn the vote, citing voter confusion due to competing cannabis measures on the ballot. The issue continued to be discussed by city council, eventually leading to a 7-2 vote on January 28th, 2025 in favor of disregarding November's election vote, and placing it on an upcoming April ballot to be voted on again.
Fortunately, the honorable Judge Hilary Gurney of El Paso county sided with the citizens of Colorado Springs and ordered the city to "take all actions necessary to ensure that the Referred Ballot Question does not appear on ballots to avoid disenfranchising and confusing the electorate." In other words, she agreed that the citizens made their position known and to move on accordingly.
So now it's official, Colorado Springs has legalized recreational marijuana for the first time in the city's history, allowing nearly 90 existing medical dispensaries to apply for retail licenses. Dispensaries cannot operate within 1,000 feet of a daycare or school, and sales are eligible to begin as soon as April 14, 2025.
For more information about this story, check out the full details from Colorado Gazette.