Denver dispensaries are coming together to fight a proposed marijuana tax increase that will be on the ballot this November, with the proposed increase taxing recreational cannabis products by an additional 5%.

Meanwhile, we’re having an absolute proverbial stroke trying to remember how to write about tax increases and ballot issues, which is something we haven’t done since before the death of print journalism.

The MySpark Denver effort would raise Denver’s taxes on cannabis by 5% by 2024, which is really unfortunate, because we can’t afford most of our various life amenities as it is, and a 5% tax hike on cannabis certainly isn’t going to help.

“The industry has collected almost $45 million less than it did this time last year,” reads an article from KDVR. “That is not stopping a collaborative effort in Denver from running a city-focused version of a ballot measure that failed statewide.”

According to the article, the group behind the ballot initiative wants to use the proposed tax increase on funding out-of-school learning opportunities for Denver youth, which is something we can all agree is already accomplished by giving our toddlers iPads and access to the internet.

Local dispensaries have already cried foul, with various businesses speaking out and proposing events focused on defeating the ballot measure.

Terrapin Care Station will be hosting an in-person social event at Punch Bowl Social at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30. Attendees of the event intend to discuss the campaign plan and provide packets with campaign materials and posters, as well as go over talking points for employees, patients and customers.

“Although your companies don't sell marijuana products directly to consumers, as you have no doubt seen, your revenues are directly tied to those who do,” reads a press release from the Terrapin Team. “When the industry suffers and demand goes down, so do all of our sales. If the My Spark tax passes, all 200 dispensaries in Denver will take a brutal hit, as will the vendors they partner with and the customers and patients they serve.”

More information on the MySpark initiative can be found through the effort’s website, but be warned: because the website was created by people heading the effort, chances are that the information contained could be biased, unlike anything we’ve ever written in the last four years.

And mark our words, if this ballot measure passes, expect Denverites of all shapes and sizes to be tossing metric tons of cannabis into Denver’s local water reservoirs in a dark and tragic day that will henceforth be known as the Denver Weed Party.