Calif. lawmaker sees potential $1.5 billion in marijuana taxes

[kpete]

Source: Raw Story



Calif. lawmaker sees potential $1.5 billion in marijuana taxes
David Edwards and Stephen C. Webster
Published: Thursday March 19, 2009

It's been said that many American trends, from fashion to music to governance, begin in California and move east.

If Tom Ammiano, a California state assemblyman from San Francisco, is correct in his assessment of potential tax revenues stemming from legalized marijuana, expect the debate to spread like a grassfire, so to speak.

Ammiano, who proposed legislation to legalize marijuana on Feb. 24, told CNBC's Melissa Francis on Thursday that the plant is the state's "leading cash crop" and could easily generate $1.5 billion in tax revenue the first year, if not more.

The state's assembly recently had to tackle a $40 billion budget shortfall, taking drastic measures under a declared state of "fiscal emergency."

Read more: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Lawmaker_wants_taxes_from_marijuana_legalization_0319.html

[NightWatcher]

1. how much you figure a pack of Super Smokes would cost?

How much would you pay?

Tobacco Cigs go for 4$ in Florida for 20.
I think that 20$ for 20 mari-smokes is fair. Of that, 15$ would be straight, pure tax money.

[rcrush]

4. Yeah I'd still rather get it from a personal grower.

I dont want to go to Phillip Morris or whatever they call themselves now to get my weed. They'll put all sorts of chemicals in it. If they legalize it I'm gonna grow my own or just get it from the dealer like I usually do.

[tridim]

6. Beat me by one minute.

:)

[Beetwasher]

7. They Should Sell Licenses To Grow

I do think their should be some regulation of growers and distributors. Perhaps different classes of licenses for those who plan to grow for personal consumption vs. those who plan to grow for distribution.

It could be a real money making cottage industry. You could have a whole network of local growers selling to local coffee houses. And you could also have people who just want to grow some for their own personal consumption.

[cabluedem]

11. Why coffee houses? It still wont be legal to smoke weed indoors, of course. nt

[XemaSab]

14. A lot of places have smoking patios

It could be an extension of that. :shrug:

[Beetwasher]

16. Another Revenue Opportunity

Selling licenses for coffee house type places where you could smoke herb.

[cabluedem]

25. But its not legal to sell tobacco at coffee houses now. Why would they sell pot over cancer sticks?

[Beetwasher]

27. There Are Some Bars Where It's Ok To Smoke

You need a special license. There are cigar bars for example here in NY. It would be the same type of thing.

[davidinalameda]

28. not in California

it's illegal to smoke in any public building

I for one don't want to fight my way through any kind of smoke

don't care if it's tobacco or pot

[lynnertic]

30. The cigar shop in my CA town gets around that with a membership-only lounge

IIRC
:hi:

[lynnertic]

32. What about the hookah lounges I see dotted here and there in Silicon Valley and SF?

:shrug:

[davidinalameda]

34. are they legal?

[lynnertic]

35. seems so.

http://www.yelp.com/c/santa-clara-ca/hookah_bars

[Beetwasher]

15. Insert Whatever Name You Want

For whatever the weed stores would be called.

I think it would be cool to have coffee houses like they do in Amsterdam.

[NightWatcher]

8. I imagine Newman's Own or other Organic companies getting involved

[martymar64]

17. I would like a micro-grower market, just like microbrews.

Get a good buzz AND support the local economy.

Win - Win, Baby!

[tridim]

5. Depends on the quality of the product

I'd pay more than that for some privately grown elite strains that Cali produces.

But if RJR gets into the game I have no doubt they'll screw it up by adding nasty chemicals like they do with tobacco.

[nichomachus]

19. I'm guessing that the tobacco companies are already

doing research to see how they can make weed highly addictive - like they did with tobacco.

[beac]

21. Sadly, I am quite sure you are right. n/t

[lynnertic]

31. I wonder why you'd need to?

It would be the drug of choice. I heard the research is going into extracts.

[nichomachus]

33. Because that's their business model

Hook 'em early, hook 'em hard -- and don't let them go.

[DS1]

41. I'd pay 40 for 20

[frebrd]

2. K&R!

:)

[EFerrari]

3. Tom!

:woohoo:

[kestrel91316]

9. I've got news: prescription drugs are not taxable in CA.

If they want to legalize it for recreational purposes then they can and should tax it. But for now, while it's only legal for medical purposes, they can keep their greedy frickin' hands off of it.

[Wizard777]

10. Marijuana cannot be legally "prescribed. " Yet. But it can be recommended by doctors.

But courts tend to treat it as a prescription. They ordered an insurance company to reimburse a california man 500.00 per plant seized in a raid. He had prescription insurance and submitted a claim.

[Wizard777]

12. I think 50.00 per ounce tax is a prohibitive tax. So it won't wipe out black market sales.

We don't want to replace black market drug lords with government drug lords. Unless the tax is designed to promote tax free personal cultivation. Because that could have a profoundly positive impact on the environment. Marijuana loves to gobbles huge amounts of CO2. They will reward you with a nice sticky potent bud and oxygen. This is a green house plant that loves to devour the green house gas CO2. I think the greatest environmental crime ever committed was the outlawing and eradication of marijuana at the advent of the automobile. Our highways should lined with marijuana.

[OnionPatch]

18. I wonder what the penalty will be

for growing your own and not paying some exorbitant tax. I need to look into this more but it did sound like bad legislation. Taxing the home gardener is ridiculous and counter-productive, like you said. People should be allowed to grow a certain amount for personal use at home, just the same way you can make your own wine.

[ArcticFox]

24. Agree

Notwithstanding that I think users could bear a tax for on purchased product, it makes little sense to tax people growing for personal consumption. Personal growth would also be a net benefit to society (in the "war on drugs" if you must), reducing demand for the black market.

[ArcticFox]

23. Great point if it weren't being smoked

Carbon sequestration would be a great point, except that one of the major by-products of combustion is the very same CO2 you're sequestering. The stems, etc. would be a carbon sink, but decomposition would have to be presented. Whether composted or turned to bio-fuel, they would eventually release a good deal of CO2 back to the atmosphere.

Benefits could be gotten though. If we used the stems, etc. for bio-fuel, we could leave more oil and natural gas in the ground (or remove it less quickly). Pumping oil is reverse sequestration, and is the base reason we've got so much more CO2 now than a couple hundred years ago. If we only burned oil that grew from atmospheric carbon, we wouldn't have any net carbon increase in the atmosphere.

And about the tax: $50 per oz is prohibitive and would support the black market? No way. What does an ounce cost on the black market? $300? $500? It costs nothing near that amount to produce an ounce. Even with such a tax, prices would still be below current black market prices.

[condoleeza]

13. Plus how much $ saved in NOT prosecuting the cases for possession...

[eridani]

20. If MJ is legal, then there would be many different strains available

I'd pick the ones that put you to sleep. I could use some help in that department.

[tridim]

22. Pure Indicas are the best natural sleep aid in the world

When the general (non-smoking) public finally figures this out Ambien and other dangerous narcotic sleep aids will become pointless.

[eridani]

29. I heard it was anything with high levels of the diols

Maybe that is true of Indicas.

[Historic NY]

26. Money up in smoke.

[420Freedom.org]

36. 420Freedom.org/legalization of marijuana

I'm the CEO of 420Freedom.org. We're an organization dedicated to the legalization of marijuana. It came to my attention just a few days ago that new legislation to Legalize Marijuana for Medical Use will be introduced in Pennsylvania in the next month or so. It appears that the old ways of thinking concerning Marijuana are finally coming to an end. Best of luck to our friends in California. As always they're spearheading the legalization effort for the whole country.

[ima_sinnic]

37. have you heard that Maine is considering making possession of up to 4 oz legal?

I am just wondering whether you can confirm this. My neighbor said he saw something about it on the Bangor news channel, but I did not and have heard nothing further.

By the way, welcome to DU! I will be checking out your site, as legalization of MJ is one of the "causes" I could really get into.

[sarcasmo]

38. Kick, the bumper crop of all bumper crops.

[shanti]

39. no brainer, this one

LEGALIZE IT ALREADY!!!

[endless october]

40. just let us grow it in our damned gardens.

this drug war shit has got to stop.

[smellycats99]

42. to high

the tax is too high