Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Who says Oregon voters never will approve new taxes?
In the Nov. 8 election, voters in 111 Oregon cities and counties faced a measure to impose a brand-new tax. The measure passed in all 111 localities.
Of course, it was a measure to impose a local 3 percent tax on the sales of recreational marijuana. The local tax goes on top of a 17 percent state tax.
Even cities and counties where the sale of recreational marijuana continues to be banned voted in favor of the 3 percent tax, because - well, because you never know, and every local government could use a few additional bucks flowing into the coffers.
The bigger news from the Nov. 8 marijuana elections in Oregon, of course, is that voters in 30 cities and counties (including Linn County, Albany and Lebanon) struck down bans on the sales of recreational pot sales.
That means local officials in those locations now face the task of establishing the rules to govern those sales.
And they have to do it in a hurry, since the ballot measures allowing the sales go into effect in January. Jurisdictions that want to see tax revenue from the sales as early as possible have additional incentive to get these handled quickly.
Among the chores facing local officials is determining operating hours for marijuana retailers, growing farms and processors. They also need to figure out where the businesses should be located (an ongoing sore spot for the Albany City Council) and what sort of security and odor controls the businesses must provide.
The good news is that those governments don't have to create all these regulations out of whole cloth: They can turn to the examples set by jurisdictions that were early adopters of recreational pot sales. In fact, lobbyists for the organizations representing Oregon's cities and counties are encouraging their clients to find out what's worked elsewhere and to borrow regulations that seem to be a good fit.
This turns out to be one of the surprising benefits of how Oregon legislators and regulators have gone about implementing Measure 91, the 2014 ballot measure that paved the way for legalized recreational pot in the state.
Who knew, for example, that it would be a smart move to allow medical marijuana dispensaries to get a head start in selling recreational pot? These examples from communities that gave an early green light to those sales have provided important lessons for communities now working to come up with a regulatory framework.
In fact, the robust sales from those dispensaries - far exceeding anyone's expectations - may have done more than anything else to convince voters to take a second look at whether to allow recreational sales in their communities.
There is still plenty of work to be done regarding legalized marijuana, of course, and there will be for years to come: Colorado and Washington, two states that legalized pot before Oregon, still are tweaking their rules.
All the more reason, then, for the state Legislature to continue its generally solid work in guiding the rollout of legal marijuana.
And, speaking of taxes, legislators grappling with a state budget shortfall that now exceeds $1.5 billion may want to consider this: At a total of 20 percent, Oregon's tax on recreational pot is less than in Colorado and Washington.
You don't want to tax legal marijuana at such a steep rate that it encourages the black market, but it still might be worth considering notching the Oregon rate up a percentage point or two.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Learning The Lessons Of Legal Pot
Author: Ray Kopczynski
Contact: 541-926-2211
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: Albany Democrat-Herald
In the Nov. 8 election, voters in 111 Oregon cities and counties faced a measure to impose a brand-new tax. The measure passed in all 111 localities.
Of course, it was a measure to impose a local 3 percent tax on the sales of recreational marijuana. The local tax goes on top of a 17 percent state tax.
Even cities and counties where the sale of recreational marijuana continues to be banned voted in favor of the 3 percent tax, because - well, because you never know, and every local government could use a few additional bucks flowing into the coffers.
The bigger news from the Nov. 8 marijuana elections in Oregon, of course, is that voters in 30 cities and counties (including Linn County, Albany and Lebanon) struck down bans on the sales of recreational pot sales.
That means local officials in those locations now face the task of establishing the rules to govern those sales.
And they have to do it in a hurry, since the ballot measures allowing the sales go into effect in January. Jurisdictions that want to see tax revenue from the sales as early as possible have additional incentive to get these handled quickly.
Among the chores facing local officials is determining operating hours for marijuana retailers, growing farms and processors. They also need to figure out where the businesses should be located (an ongoing sore spot for the Albany City Council) and what sort of security and odor controls the businesses must provide.
The good news is that those governments don't have to create all these regulations out of whole cloth: They can turn to the examples set by jurisdictions that were early adopters of recreational pot sales. In fact, lobbyists for the organizations representing Oregon's cities and counties are encouraging their clients to find out what's worked elsewhere and to borrow regulations that seem to be a good fit.
This turns out to be one of the surprising benefits of how Oregon legislators and regulators have gone about implementing Measure 91, the 2014 ballot measure that paved the way for legalized recreational pot in the state.
Who knew, for example, that it would be a smart move to allow medical marijuana dispensaries to get a head start in selling recreational pot? These examples from communities that gave an early green light to those sales have provided important lessons for communities now working to come up with a regulatory framework.
In fact, the robust sales from those dispensaries - far exceeding anyone's expectations - may have done more than anything else to convince voters to take a second look at whether to allow recreational sales in their communities.
There is still plenty of work to be done regarding legalized marijuana, of course, and there will be for years to come: Colorado and Washington, two states that legalized pot before Oregon, still are tweaking their rules.
All the more reason, then, for the state Legislature to continue its generally solid work in guiding the rollout of legal marijuana.
And, speaking of taxes, legislators grappling with a state budget shortfall that now exceeds $1.5 billion may want to consider this: At a total of 20 percent, Oregon's tax on recreational pot is less than in Colorado and Washington.
You don't want to tax legal marijuana at such a steep rate that it encourages the black market, but it still might be worth considering notching the Oregon rate up a percentage point or two.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Learning The Lessons Of Legal Pot
Author: Ray Kopczynski
Contact: 541-926-2211
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: Albany Democrat-Herald
