Should we tax and regulate marijuana, or let law enforcement seize
and keep revenue?
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| Just the "Facts?" Drug-Free America put out this poster to try to blunt rising public sentiment supporting legalization. When challenged to back up their "data" claims, DFA could provide no sources. |
Marijuana
made it into the local news in two very different ways on February 12.
At
the State House, two legislators announced they will again push a bill to
legalize, tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol. Meanwhile, far away from the
state capital near the Connecticut border, three young men were arrested for growing and selling pot.
Sen
Josh Miller and Rep Edith Ajello spoke about how regulation can help keep
cannabis away from kids and create revenue for the state and small businesses.
“Marijuana
prohibition has been a long-term failure,” Miller said yesterday. “Forcing
marijuana into the underground market ensures authorities have no control of
the product. Regulating marijuana would allow the product to be sold safely and
responsibly by legitimate businesses in appropriate locations.”
“In
total, the search warrants resulted in the seizure of 248 marijuana plants,
over 46 pounds of processed marijuana and $312,678 in United States Currency,”
said a press release from the Rhode Island state police.
Miller
and Ajello’s bill would put a $50 excise tax on every ounce of wholesale
marijuana sold to a state-sanctioned store (much like liquor stores in Rhode
Island). That means Rhode Island missed out on more than $30,000 in revenue
from this one bust. The bill would also put a 10 percent tax on the retail sale
of marijuana. That’s another $30,000 in revenue the state missed out on,
assuming the confiscated cash was from the sale of said marijuana.
“Taxing
marijuana sales will generate tens of millions of dollars in much-needed
tax revenue for the state, a portion of which will be directed
towards programs that treat and prevent alcohol and other substance
abuse,” Ajello said at yesterday’s State House press conference.
Meanwhile,
Rhode Island state police said more than 10 law enforcement agencies worked
since January to arrest three people for growing and selling a plant. No guns
and no other drugs or contraband was identified. Police did say Rhode Island
medical marijuana cards were being misused, but that may be an indication that
the three men are willing to comply with the law if the law were to recognize
their very profitable business model.
“Marijuana
prohibition is a failed policy, and when a law is broken it needs to be fixed,”
said Jared Moffatt, of Regulate Rhode Island, the grassroots group working to
take pot off the streets and put it onto the tax rolls.
“Regulating marijuana
is the solution because it will take control away from illegal dealers, and it
will improve the Rhode Island economy by generating tax revenue and creating
jobs.”
Even
though a recent poll shows a majority of
Rhode Islanders support legalizing marijuana, pundits have said
politicians are unlikely to act on the tax and regulate bill this year because
it is an election year.