U.S. Marijuana Reform Project USMRP.com

Jill Harris Interview from August 12, 2009

Jill Harris of the Drug Policy Alliance is interviewed about Oakland's new initiative to tax medical marijuana. The new tax is expected to bring in an additional $330,000 in revenue for Oakland.

Medical Marijuana is Attracting Entrepreneurs

Recent events lead me to believe that legalization of Medical Marijuana may be inevitable. This morning I read a Press Release from Marketwire which announced that Medical Marijuana, Inc. has signed agreements with additional Medical Marijuana Collectives in California to provide point of sale (POS) systems which "helps businesses that are dispensing medical marijuana more efficiently and securely manage the tasks of revenue and taxation collection. "

Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s "Stored Value Platform System" enables businesses to manage their sales and to pay taxes via Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions which can occur on a daily basis.

Additionally, Michigan held a medical marijuana expo last weekend which was professionally organized and attended by approximately 1,000 people seeking information about this fledgeling industry.

With current unemployment rates being the highest since the Great Depression, and interest being generated among people who are out of work the genie may be out of the bottle.

Marijuana Taxes

Does taxing marijuana make it more legit?

There was a recent article in the New York Times, Marijuana Supporters Welcome a Tax Increase, which reported that Oakland, California voters approved a huge tax increase on sales at the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries last week.

I learned today from an Associated Press Article, Medical marijuana dispensaries thrive in Colo., that Colorado also collects taxes from 61 medical marijuana dispensaries, and that just one of them pays the state approximately $10,000 a month in sales tax.

What would the financial impact to California’s tax revenue if they were to tax the 267 (Yes, I found TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY SEVEN) medical marijuana dispensaries?

I’m afraid that if we want to win the war on drugs, we had better return all of our troops back to U.S. soil ASAP and the US Army Corps of Engineers should halt all current projects and focus all of their efforts on building more prisons. Where’s Dick Chaney and Halliburton when you need them?