About Blue Rising
Our policies and our mission are informed by the lived experience of impacted families and young people. We apply what we learn to educate elected officials to develop, pass and implement policies. We create a platform for people with lived experience to share their perspectives with those in power. We are non-partisan and seek to find common ground between both political parties. Our impacted families are from across the political spectrum and we believe that we must come together, beyond politics, to solve the most pressing issues that impact youth and young adults across the state.
We have found that engaging in policy from passage to implementation is critical to achieving effective outcomes - saving lives, as well as identifying additional gaps along the way. We work to close those gaps through a combination of additional policies, rules and regulations, and program development. Additionally, we develop and provide support for institutions or grassroots community organizations that are doing hands-on work. Impacted families and young people are at the table every step of the way.
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Blue Rising has a proven record of shaping Colorado law to protect young people. Blue Rising’s impact is evident in several landmark policy wins. For example:
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We served as a key issue expert in the development and passage of House Bill 21-1317, Regulating Marijuana Concentrates (2021), which reformed the state’s medical marijuana system by requiring two physician recommendations for 18- to 20-year-olds, stated potency levels, and detailed dosage instructions.
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We led the coalition that wrote and championed House Bill 22-1326, the bipartisan Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention Act (2022). The measure imposed tougher penalties on dealers whose drugs cause death, allocated tens of millions of dollars for prevention and treatment services. The bill also directed the Colorado Attorney General to study how internet and social-media platforms facilitate fentanyl trafficking.
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We led the successful coalition efforts to pass SB23-279: Unserialized Firearms And Firearm Components (2023) to prevent unserialized firearms from finding their way into young people’s hands. Often for sale on social media.
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In 2024, we led the efforts to draft and lobby SB 25-086: Protections for Users of Social Media. SB25-086 was a common-sense approach to requiring social media companies to comprehensively and consistently ensure their policies prohibiting the sale of illicit substances, illegal firearms sales, and sexual exploitation of children are being enforced. All of the state’s 23 District Attorneys, law enforcement agencies, as well as organizations dedicated to youth violence prevention, youth support services, education, and health care, supported this bill. The bill received overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, which is a rare accomplishment. However, Governor Jared Polis vetoed the bill in order to stay in the good graces of Big Tech. We fought back and secured a vote to override the Governor’s veto in the Senate for the first time in memory. But the House delayed, giving the Governor and the tech industry another chance to kill the bill. The bill sponsors in the House decided not to hold the override vote without Republican support, and the bill was killed. Though this was an incredibly disappointing and disheartening outcome, it’s not the end of our fight against exploitation and criminal activity on social media platforms. This issue is too urgent to ignore and we are committed to protecting Colorado’s youth on social media.
Cross Sector Education
Beyond the Capitol, Blue Rising hosts issue briefings and Lunch and Learns for policymakers, civic leaders, and coalition partners. These sessions present data on the health and developmental effects of high-potency marijuana, explain how fentanyl is trafficked and accessed by teens, and analyze social media’s role as an unregulated marketplace for illegal drugs unlawful firearm sales and sex trafficking and exploitation of minors. Each briefing equips participants with the evidence needed to drive accountability, shape regulation, and mobilize cross-sector coalitions ready for action.
