Community | July 12, 2009 | 19 comments

Politician proposes tax on cannabis

source: http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090713/FOREIGN/707129888/1014/SPORT

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Vierotchka
Some people in California believe they have a plan to rescue the state from its budget woes: legalise marijuana.

California is already one of 13 US states where marijuana is legally available for medicinal use if a doctor prescribes it. But this year, Tom Ammiano, a Democratic state assemblyman, introduced a bill that would permit anyone over 21 to grow, buy, sell or possess cannabis for recreational use as well.

Marijuana is widely believed to be California’s biggest cash crop, with sales estimated at more than US$14 billion (Dh51bn) a year.

Milk and cream, the state’s second largest farm commodity, brings in about half that, according to the US department of agriculture, while vegetables earn just $5.7bn a year.

Proponents of legalised marijuana say a 10-per-cent agricultural tax alone would earn the state almost $1.5bn to offset cuts in spending or tax hikes. There could be further revenue potential in retail sales and through income tax.

Mr Ammiano argues that legalised marijuana would also save the state billions annually in law enforcement costs.
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19 comments // Politician proposes tax on cannabis

  • Sess
    • 0
      Sess  

    • legalize it....everyone uses weed or has...stop fakein the funk and legalize it...theres a shit load of money to be made!

    • 2 years ago
  • cafiredancer
    • 0
      cafiredancer  

    • After how people voted on prop 8 it's hard for me to think this state can agree on anything. It was just this month that our county (San Diego) recognized a state law that was put into place more that 10 years ago! And they are still making it hard to get your medicine...I just hope too see more support for this...I know there's gotta be more people out there for it then against it. They are all just afraid to stand up because the social perception by those who appose (like our bosses or chur leaders). Until people can see that smoking herb is not a criminal act, it's hard to forsee a positive outcome...

    • 2 years ago
  • Timmyeatworld
    • 0
      Timmyeatworld  

    • As good as this may all seem I'm really interested in seeing what kind of outcome'll happen in the next 5 years if this were to actually go down.

    • 2 years ago
  • cabinettags
    • 0
      cabinettags  
    • Timmyeatworld:

      Timmy I can pretty much make a prediction for you. It's not hard.

      1st thing that would happen, after the dancing in the street, is America would discover the country didn't go to hell because of it, and you can expect teen use to go down a notch.

      The Fed won't legalize it - that will be up to the states. So it won't all happen at the same time. If this includes looking again at all our kids we have locked up you may see some good releases and that will be happy news if it happens.

      The Federal money now spent on enforcement will be sucked up somewhere else and make no difference. As the states legalize it, the new revenues will be welcome and celebrated. But in the end, our politicans will find a way to piss that away where it doesn't help.

      The only main and real thing will be they stop locking us up, and the industry will provide some new jobs for folks. That's about it.

    • 2 years ago
  • cabinettags
    • 0
      cabinettags  

    • It doesn't take a mental heavyweight to figure your way through the snags. What it takes is the will to see it through, and the support of those that want to see it happen.

      It has my vote !!!

    • 2 years ago
  • RichLikesJuice
  • fernweher
  • galwayman
    • 0
      galwayman  

    • There already exists a tax on cannabis. passed in 1932 it puts a tax of 100 bucks an ounce on pot and it was never repealed. to me that seems to high and it should be lowered to half that! I'd gladly pay it to toke legally without fear of arrest and being jailed for exercising my right to put into my body what I choose to! Think what we could do with all that money for housing,for education,for all the social programs that have suffered major cuts! Legalize! Hell we'd all pay the tax!

    • 2 years ago
  • Conniepae
    • 0
      Conniepae  

    • If they would legalize cannabis, it would open the door to hemp for industry. Machines would need to be built to process the hemp into viable products. Hemp could be an environmentally friendly industry unto it's self.

      'It's time' for change and legalizing cannabis hemp would be a good place to start. Hemp has such possibilities. I think it's too important to ignore.

    • 2 years ago
  • maisry
  • bluestranger
  • Acoltus
    • 0
      Acoltus  

    • Do you really think that this is going to work? Pot is so easy to grow, almost anyone can grow it in their backyard. How are you going to tax something like that? In addition, so many are already making big money by covertly selling it, that they're not going to open themselves up and lose money from taxes.

    • 2 years ago
  • Wrabon
    • 0
      Wrabon  
    • Acoltus:

      This won't work because it's so easy to grow. Well, so is tobacco, but you don’t see every cigarette smoker with a yard full of plants, even though it's a lot more additive. Both plants are highly susceptible to disease, pests, ph imbalances and water problems. Most people prefer to leave the horticulture to the professionals and buy their smokes from a store even though the federal legislation passed in late 2005, which allows every American to grow tobacco in their yard. Cannabis smokers should have the same right, but most would still prefer to buy it from a store and pay taxes on it.

    • 2 years ago
  • JK47
  • Acoltus
    • 0
      Acoltus  
    • Acoltus:

      @Wrabon
      You can't really compare this to cigarettes, because of all the extra filler they add to the cigarette. It isn't pure tobacco, where as most pot is pure, or as close as possible, marijuana. In addition, pot, is not as susceptible as you let on. I know of many people, most barely over 20 who have none of those problems.

      @JK47
      You could tax the right to grow. However, no one is going to find out, and therefore get taxed, if people continue to grow covertly, as they have been doing for years.

    • 2 years ago
  • florest
    • 0
      florest  

    • It's the new age mofu*kaaass... i wonder why it was even made illegal in 1937...thats just one more thing to add to the list that i don't understand about the corrupt politicians of this great nation...

      Ps: Im going to take over the world look out for me...:)

    • 2 years ago
  • JK47
  • pjacobs51
  • Sumbodyswatchin
    • 0
      Sumbodyswatchin  

    • Probably the best thing to come out of the recession if it were to happen. and with cali writing IOUS now in lieu of checks i am remaining cautiously hopefull.

    • 2 years ago
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