How Much Would You Pay For A Government-Approved Cannabis License Plate?

By Johnny Green

Colorado will always hold the distinction of being one of the first two states in the U.S. to legalize cannabis for adult use (along with Washington, 2012) and is home to the first-ever legal purchase of adult use cannabis (2014). The Centennial State is a true pioneer when it comes to all things cannabis, and that pioneering spirit now even includes license plates.

The State of Colorado recently auctioned off cannabis-themed license plates as part of a fundraiser that supported the Colorado Disability Fund. Colorado has previously auctioned off custom license plates in the past, however, this was the first cannabis-themed plate auction and the first auction of its type in the nation’s history.

Most states prohibit custom license plates that refer to federally controlled substances, including cannabis. That is true even in states which have legalized cannabis for adult use, such as Oregon. Once again Colorado is leading the way and continuing to stay on the cuttingedge of public policy via its cannabisthemed license plate auction concept.

License plate configurations that were up for auction included:

BONG

GANJA

GOTWAX

GREEN

HAPPY

HASH

HEMP

HERB

HONEY

INDICA

ISIT420

SATIVA

STASH

TEGRIDY

Photo by Jordan Hiraldo

Obviously, some of those configurations are better than others, at least from a cannabis enthusiast standpoint. HAPPY is not necessarily cannabis-focused, and GREEN and HONEY aren’t exactly first-tier choices either.

TEGRIDY is an interesting choice and was a very popular target for bidding. Tegridy Farms was featured on a cannabis themed South Park episode. TEGRIDY received over twice as many bids as the second closest choice (ITIS420), although the ‘ITIS420’ plate generated more money.

The cannabis-themed license plate auction closed on 4:20 PM on April 20th, and will apparently be part of an annual license plate auction fundraiser. It will be interesting to see what options are included year after year. After all, once a license plate configuration is part of an auction it can’t be included again, although I suppose they can change the color of the license plates or some other way to mix it up.

The auction obviously didn’t bring in a ton of money in the grand scheme of things, with final bids being in the thousands. However, every dollar is going to a worthy cause, it helps promote Colorado’s booming cannabis industry, and it goes a long way to help reduce the stigma surrounding the cannabis plant. Colorado’s cannabis-themed license plate auction is truly a sign of the times!