Colorado has a surplus of cannabis tax revenue that totals around $65 million. Due to the passage of Proposition BB last year, the state gets to keep these taxes and decide how they’re used. The Colorado Department of Revenue has announced that roughly $3 million of this will be used for bullying prevention programs in public schools.
The funding will be used to distribute 50 bullying prevention grants to schools across the state for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Each school will receive a grant of up to $40,000 per year.
“It’s a lot of money,” Dr. Adam Collins, bullying prevention and education grant coordinator for the CDE, told Denver7. “It’s a great opportunity for schools to apply and make sure the social and emotional wellness of their students is taken care of.”
Schools that are awarded one of the grans will receive professional training from a prevention coach , and a bullying prevention committee will be formed that includes school staff as well as parents.
Schools have been given until October 21st to apply for the grant.
In Colorado there was $122 million in legal cannabis sold in July alone (the last full month where data is available), resulting in roughly $30 million in taxes. In 2015 there was $1 billion in legal cannabis sold, resulting in over $135 million in taxes for the state.