Legislation setting up a tax structure for “raw” smoke-able medical marijuana gets unanimous approval from House Ways and Means.
The bill, by Houma Representative Tanner Magee, is part of a two-piece legislative effort to allow the sale of raw medical marijuana in Louisiana.
“It is kind of a response to what Mississippi and Arkansas have done,” said Magee. “Since we got ours up and running they have passed legislation allowing the smoke-able bud to be sold.”
A companion piece of legislation legalizing the sale of raw, or inhalable medical marijuana would also need to be passed for this to take effect.
The bill would tax raw medical marijuana at the state sales tax level of 4.45 percent. Magee said other forms of medical marijuana currently available in Louisiana aren’t subject to the tax, but they’re also much more expensive.
“By getting the plant out to people it is a cheaper form of it, and so it is going to bring down the overall cost to the consumer even if they pay a sales tax on it,” said Magee.
The tax would be dedicated to a road and bridge construction sub-fund. Legislative analysts project it would generate about 12 million dollars a year in revenue by 2026.
Magee said there’s been a big shift in public perception of pot and while he doesn’t expect to see recreational marijuana legalized this year, he thinks it will happen soon.
“I think the public has shifted and sees what is going on in other states, it’s just a matter of time before it comes to Louisiana,” said Magee, who added one of the most frequent requests he gets from constituents is for the full recreational legalization of marijuana.
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