Oakland pot tax adds fuel to legalization fire

[PatSeg]

OAKLAND -Bill O'Donnell illegally self-medicated with marijuana for years for a combat injury and post-traumatic stress from military service in Vietnam – landing him in jail once for possession.

Today, O'Donnell, 58, legally selects medical marijuana pot brands from the "bud tender" at the Coffeeshop Blue Sky in downtown Oakland. And he feels proud the dispensary soon will pay taxes on his purchases – thanks to Oakland's passage of the nation's first cannabis taxation law on July 21.

"I've gone all the way from doing 60 days in jail to paying taxes on this," O'Donnell said. "I'm glad to help out – legitimately."

When 80 percent of Oakland voters approved a gross receipts tax that charged the city's four pot dispensaries $18 for every $1,000 in revenue, they added political smoke to efforts in other California cities to treat municipal budget deficits by taxing medical marijuana revenues.

More at: http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2075528.html