Re: Revenue Generating Ideas for Montana - Thirty Thousand Pounds
Reader Comments
| January 16, 2010 |  View for printing |
In light of Gov. Schweitzer's request for money saving tips http://matr.net/article-37542.html , here's a revenue generating idea:
Thirty Thousand Pounds
Montanans consume about 30,000 lbs of marijuana a year. That estimate is based on California NORML’s solid scientific review of government data, adjusted for Montana’s much smaller population (1 million compared to 36 million) but slightly higher usage rate (86,000 adults (12%), compared to California’s 11%). Many people are understandably hesitant to volunteer information on government surveys about their law-breaking activities, so these usage estimates are probably low.
...
Now suppose that all our 30,000 lbs were sold in legal shops as one-ounce packages, each with a $50 excise tax.
That’d be $24,000,000 in direct tax revenues. Now imagine licensing fees for producers and retailers, payroll taxes, additional jobs created, etc.
Full Story: http://blog.montananorml.org/2009/12 ... and-pounds/
Reader Comments:
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There's little doubt that public policy is headed this way. Support for taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol now exceeds 50% in western states. Of course, the devil will be in the details. My prediction: Montana citizens' initiative, 2012. --John Masterson
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