DABBING, BLUNT, BONGWTR, MRY JANE — These are just some of the novelty license plates being auctioned off by the state of Colorado as part off a benefit for a state-run program designed to help the disabled community.
The auction, which launched on Friday, will offer the rights for “22 different official state license plate configurations with cannabis-themed phrases including 420, HASH, EDIBLE, THC, and CBD,” the state said in a press release.
The proceeds from the auction “will benefit the Colorado Disability Funding Committee and will be used to fund grants for disability application assistance as well as new and innovative programs increasing quality of life and independence of Coloradans with disabilities,” the state said.
“For over a decade, Colorado has been a leader in the cannabis space, bringing bold, innovative and creative businesses to the state. This effort allows us to celebrate Colorado’s mile-high reputation and fund critical projects and programs in our disability community,” Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, said in the press release.
The Colorado Disability Funding Committee seeks to “maximize support for new and innovative programs benefiting Colorado’s disability community by raising and distributing funds as authorized” under state law.
The state offered a rundown on how interested Coloradans might procure a plate that reads DABBING, TOKER or GOTHEMP: “Individuals are bidding on the right to own the use of the configuration of letters and numbers on their Colorado license plate or have the ability to purchase a novelty plate and retain the exclusive rights to use the configuration on their Colorado license plate at a later date.
“The buyer also has the rights to resell the configuration through the Colorado Disability Funding Committee in the future. Individuals are responsible for paying all standard registration fees, a personalized plate production fee and any additional fees for a designer background if they do not want the standard white and green license plate.”
The state conducted a similar promotion last year, when it auctioned off a host of cannabis-themed plates, including one — TEGRIDY — that referenced a storyline on the popular animated comedy South Park.
Polis even gave the show’s creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, their own TEGRIDY license plate in celebration of South Park’s 24th anniversary last year.
According to last week’s press release, that auction raised more than $45,000 that went toward the state’s disabled community. The state’s lieutenant governor, Dianne Primavera, called it “a fantastic opportunity to provide grant funding to not-for-profit and for-profit organizations that serve people with disabilities.”
Bidding for this year’s auction will be open until, naturally, April 20 (at 4:20 P.M. Mountain Time).
As Polis said in his statement about the auction, Colorado is a pioneer in cannabis reform in the United States, becoming the first state in the country to legalize recreational pot use in 2012.
The adult-use cannabis program has been largely seen as an economic success in the state, bringing in crucial new revenue and enhancing its already strong tourist industry.
But the state’s second largest city, Colorado Springs, has opted out of the program, blocking recreational pot sales in its jurisdiction.
One group of advocates is currently trying to change that by placing a proposal on the city’s ballot this November. If the group, known as Your Choice Colorado Springs, gathers enough valid signatures, voters in Colorado Springs could get the chance to finally end the city’s prohibition on sales.
“The citizens of Colorado’s second-largest city finally have it within their power to direct taxes from recreational cannabis sales back to their hometown, rather than to cities like Denver and Manitou Springs,” Your Choice Colorado Springs campaign manager Anthony Carlson said. “In the coming weeks and months, Your Choice campaign team and volunteers will fan out across the city, seeking signatures from Colorado Springs voters who would like to make sure our hard-earned tax dollars are staying at home serving our community.”