Where’s the cannabis money we voted for?
Posted on February 21, 2022 by Sonoma Valley Sun
Four hundred cannabis stakeholders have sent [State Senator Mike McGuire] a request to eliminate or curb their taxes. What is at stake here? Prop. 64 was voted in because it promised to not only fully fund the cost of the industry but generate extra state funds for other worthy projects. These worthy projects include helping over 21,000 low income students.
If there is extra money (projected excess is $31 billion), I contend that the state should either be returning the excess to the taxpayers or using it for programs, not propping up a failing industry. We the voters were sold one thing and the industry knew the terms.
Saying that early education and child care will be funded at the same level via this legislation and budget investment….isn’t that code for using the excess to make up the difference?
I am not convinced that the handout to the industry will ever be walked back. If the promises of huge profits haven’t materialized, perhaps California is not the place to grow the weed. And let’s stop trotting out the small farmer myth — most are big conglomerates.
Rachel Zierdt
Sebastopol
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May I point out the due to prop 64 allowing “local control” there are the same number of cannabis dispensaries in California than in Oregon with 1/4 our population. If you can not sell the stuff legally, then you can not make money. This dynamic also leads to the illegal market growing and prospering as they do not pay any taxes. In addition the illegal growers degrade our environment. I do not think the tax breaks would have been desired, if the state had controlled the licensing of dispensaries instead of leaving it to local governments, most of whom do not even allow any dispensaries in their jurisdictions.