Cannabis Tax Revenues Yield $2M in Scholarships for Pueblo County, Colorado

Pueblo County, Colorado is awarding more than $2 million in cannabis excise sales tax scholarships to local institutions, including $1 million to Pueblo Community College (PCC), the Pueblo Chieftain reports. The Colorado State University (CSU) Pueblo Foundation will receive $616,000; CSU Pueblo Athletics will see $385,000; and the Pueblo African American Concern Organization will receive $26,000.

The entities will be allowed to distribute the funds to students at their discretion so long as the students are residents of the county. Last spring semester, PCC awarded 10 scholarships under its Return to Earn program—for students who return to college later in life—funded by cannabis tax dollars.

PCC President Patty Erjavec said having the funds is “a tremendous tool” for the college’s advertising and recruiting department “because they know they have these funds in their back pocket and it’s easy to get to.”