Hey Colorado, Vote No on Amendment 72

As Americans try to make heads or tails of whom they are voting for ahead of November 8th, the residents of Colorado have another pressing issue they must figure out which way they will be voting come Election Day. Much like California and Florida, Colorado is another state where voters will have to decide where they stand on adding another amendment to the state constitution. Amendment 72 would increase state taxes on tobacco products, and while this is not the only Amendment to make its debut on the 2016 Colorado ballot it is the most harrowing.

Amendment 72 should it pass will lock in $315 million in new spending into the state constitution, and since it is an amendment the only way to change it would be with another statewide vote. The goal of Amendment 72 is to raise over $300 million and create new government programs which have yet to be determined. In laymen’s terms, Amendment 72 hands a blank check to special interest groups while forcing the taxpayer to foot the bill for their pet projects. Building in a tax hike into the constitution with vague direction and little accountability opens the door to waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars.

As it stands now, Currently, Colorado has already received more than 1.6 billion from tobacco taxes to be used for tobacco prevention and treatment, but the revenue has been spent on other unrelated anti-tobacco programs.

While proponents of Amendment 72 argue the measure saves lives and keep kids from starting to smoke, the truth of the matter is only 20% of the new revenue would go to smoking prevention and cessation programs. The taxes collected under Amendment 72, would disproportionately affect low income people who tend to use tobacco. By tripling the tobacco tax, Colorado is effectively punishing those who are suffering from addiction and forcing them to subsidize programs to benefit those who do not use tobacco.

In an election season where the economy is at the forefront of everyone’s mind, Amendment 72 does not make sense. Not only does Amendment 72 burden low income families, it does not solve the current problems facing the Centennial state such as crumbling roads and bridges, insufficient school funding, and the rising cost of living. Amendment 72 does nothing to address these issues and the truth is, Colorado families deserve better.

At the end of the day, Amendment 72 is a constitutional amendment built on flimsy campaign promises to dupe Colorado residents into voting for a measure which will open the door to reckless spending and a fiscally irresponsible government. It is obvious the only thing left to do is vote no on 72 and keep the money in the hands of taxpayers, after all, it’s their money.