DENVER — Hundreds of people lined up in Denver for a free marijuana cigarette Monday as part of a protest against a ballot proposal that would impose high taxes on the drug, which is now legal in Colorado for recreational use.
The measure on the November ballot asks Colorado voters to approve a 15 percent excise tax plus a 10 percent statewide sales tax on all retail marijuana purchases.
The marijuana was donated by a local attorney who got it as part of a legal settlement after authorities determined it was seized illegally, according to Larisa Bolivar, campaign manager for opponents of the ballot measure.
Littletree Oppy wore a fake nurse cap while she handed out the cigarettes at Civic Center Park for the campaign. She said she opposes the proposed taxes because people who can’t afford to pay would be forced to go to the black market.