University of Colorado Regents Censure Wanda James for Campaign Conflict

The University of Colorado Board of Regents voted 8-1 to censure Regent Wanda James over her involvement in the defunding of an anti-marijuana campaign that she criticized for its racially insensitive imagery. James, a Black dispensary owner, objected to a campaign featuring images of Black individuals portraying the negative effects of marijuana, calling the images racist and harmful to the Black community. Despite the images being removed following her complaints, some regents accused her of a conflict of interest, alleging that she sought to redirect funding away from the campaign to social equity programs benefiting marijuana business owners like herself. James denied any wrongdoing, arguing that her fiduciary responsibility was to prevent the university from promoting racist content, and described the censure as an act of censorship and retaliation. As a result of the censure, James was removed from all committee assignments and barred from representing the university at events, although she remains a voting member of the board. The controversy highlighted tensions within the university over race, cannabis policy, and governance ethics.