The economic case for marijuana legalization and taxation

This fall, citizens of the Bay State face ballot question 4, the question of legalizing marijuana for recreational use. A Yes vote legalizes marijuana for recreational, non-medical usage (it’s already legal for medical use). A No vote keeps the law the same.

A bit of background about me: I’m a Massachusetts resident and have been since 1998. I do not consume marijuana in any form; gin is my preferred vice. I am a fiscal conservative and a social moderate; in other words, like the average Massachusetts resident who doesn’t care what you do behind closed doors as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else and doesn’t cost me a ton of money.

I urge you on economic grounds to vote YES on ballot question 4, to legalize marijuana. Here’s why.

Massachusetts Money Troubles

First, the state has hit yet another fiscal deficit, with a $300 million shortfall. This number will be made up from somewhere, either from existing program cuts or increased taxes. The answer, to the extent that the state will have one, will probably be both – but it doesn’t have to be.

The answer to fixing this problem comes from the production and sale of legal marijuana in two ways. First, let’s talk profits and taxes.

Increased State Revenues

You might think legalizing marijuana seems like a silly thing to do. How much money could it possibly make? In the state of Colorado, one of the first states to legalize for recreational use, pot is big business and big state revenues. How much? According to Cannabist, Colorado has generated 996 million in business from the sale of recreational marijuana. That’s996 million in new jobs, new income taxes, etc.

On top of that, Colorado has also directly taxed at a 29% excise tax, generating $135 million in taxes and fees directly to state coffers. That amount would chop the Massachusetts deficit almost in half.

Let’s next consider the state of Washington. Just in calendar year 2016, the state has generated 652 million in business revenues, and153 million in excise taxes. Washington taxes more heavily than Colorado, at a hefty 37%. That amount of direct taxable revenue would slice the Massachusetts deficit in half, not accounting for income taxes paid by people working in the industry.

Colorado and Washington are already seeing massive tax revenues from it; we should claim our fair share before a nearby state does and takes the revenue from us. Massachusetts would be the first state in the US Northeast to legalize recreational use, making us home to producers as well as consumers – all of whom must pay taxes to us.

Would you like to halve the deficit, halve the amount the state will take out of paychecks or our communities’ programs? I sure would. But, as the TV commercials used to say, wait – there’s more.

Cost Reduction

According to MassBudget, there are a total of 5,657 prisoners in state and local prisons in Massachusetts who were convicted of non-violent drug crimes, a significant portion due to possession of drugs like marijuana. Let’s say for argument’s sake that only half are marijuana and the other half are drugs like opioids, heroin, etc.

Care to guess how much we, as taxpayers, must pay on average for the care and upkeep of prisoners?

For Fiscal Year 2014, the average cost per year to house an inmate in the Massachusetts DOC was $53,040.87. (Source: Mass DOC)

2,829 people a year are housed – on OUR dime as taxpayers – for a non-violent offense related to marijuana. If we legalize, we eliminate all future expenses for this class of criminal conviction. If we were to then free the marijuana-only non-violent convicted criminals, we would save another 150 million per year. I’d like to stop paying for as many harmless criminals as possible and put that funding to use elsewhere – like back in my wallet.153 million in revenues in Washington state. $150 million saved no longer paying for criminals to sit in jail cells and consume food, water, shelter, and clothing on our dime. There’s our entire budget deficit. All we have to do is legalize and tax, tax, tax. The current proposition provides for both a state and local excise tax (up to 2% per city), which means individual towns will see added revenue on top of what the state will collect.

Regulation

Recreational marijuana will follow the same basic rules as alcohol and tobacco.

• No smoking of any kind in a workplace (Section 2e).
• No smoking in any place where smoking of any substance is prohibited (Section 13c).
• No operating a vehicle under the influence (Section 2a).
• No sales of any kind to a minor (Section 2b).

Additionally, as a legitimate product, marijuana will be subject to the same quality controls as other commercial products. Currently, as a controlled substance, many people who obtain it legally may be obtaining defective, adulterated, or incorrectly labeled products of questionable provenance. By legalizing, we will better regulate.

Vote Yes on 4

Marijuana is all about green – and I don’t mean the plant’s color. I mean money that you and I don’t have to pay from mandatory taxes. We can enjoy not cutting back important services while reducing costs and increasing tax revenues when we legalize marijuana.

As a fiscal conservative, I urge you to vote YES on ballot question 4, and start putting green back in our wallets as citizens of Massachusetts.

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