"Several states are now looking into the possibility of taxing marijuana as a source of revenue. That is so typical of the government, isn't it? Trying to squeeze blood from a stone-r." –Jay Leno.

The funny thing is, Massachusetts is rapidly ascending as one of a handful of states looking to legalize marijuana for additional tax revenue. According to the Boston Globe, local and statewide activists have already begun plans for a possible 2016 ballot initiative drive on the question of full legalization.

Public testimony on House Bill 1632 the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act, introduced by Ellen Story (D-Amherst), was heard by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary in April.  If passed, the bill would legalize marijuana for adults 21 or older, and establish a tax on the cannabis industry in Massachusetts.  Taxes would be established at a rate of $10 per 1% of THC per ounce:

"The authority shall collect an excise upon sales by processors of cannabis at a rate of ten dollars per 1% of THC content per ounce. The amount of said excise shall be calculated by multiplying the THC content of the cannabis, expressed by percentage, by one thousand dollars (Example: an ounce of cannabis containing 5% THC is taxed fifty dollars, as .05 x $1,000 is $50.) Determination of THC content shall be established by dry weight, without seeds."

House Bill 1632 would regulate the commercial cultivation, processing, and retail of marijuana to adults over the age of 21.

Massachusetts is one of a growing number of states where lawmakers are considering marijuana legalization, and Bay State voters have long favored marijuana reform in polls and at the voting booth by a 60 percent margin.

So, what do you think of the state politicians hoping to tax weed? Well, in the words of a past American president, “Federal and state laws (should) be changed to no longer make it a crime to possess marijuana for private use.”
Richard M. Nixon

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