DENVER ( KDVR ) — The new city of Denver licensing bulletin said marijuana revenue from taxes and licensing fees was $48.1 million in 2023, a decrease from the peak of $72.6 million in 2021.
The report found that $7.95 million supports services to help the homeless , $7.53 million is spent on affordable housing and $3.32 million supports youth education programs.
Where does all the revenue from marijuana sales go in Denver?
Marijuana-related crime only made up 0.2% of total crime in 2023, which is less than 1%, according to the report.
“We created the plan that was implemented by many other cities across America, and one of the reasons why our plan has been copied by so many other cities is because we successfully prevented that prediction that crime would skyrocket,” said Denver Excise and Licenses spokesperson Eric Escudero.
The Denver Police Department told FOX31 that the marijuana task force has been retooled to address the fentanyl issue in Colorado.
“You see the reduction in marijuana seizures over the last decade so I don’t think this is a surprising number. This was where these numbers were trending towards,” DPD Lt. Ryan Harris said.