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Letter: High pot prices inflate state revenue

The Columbian
Published: July 30, 2014, 12:00am

By keeping the state marijuana grow canopy minuscule, the Washington Liquor Control Board can keep marijuana prices high, which will help to maximize the total tax the state will collect from sales. The liquor control board has allocated 2 million square feet of marijuana grow canopy for the entire state, which is equal to 46 acres. If the state only allowed 46 acres statewide to grow apples on, we would be paying more than $1,000 for an apple.

The marijuana excise taxes collected by the state will increase as the price per gram for marijuana increases. The amount of taxes the state will collect at $20 a gram will be twice the taxes that the state would collect if the same gram of marijuana was sold for $10.

The liquor control board reduced the number of pot-growing licenses from three to one and how much each individual supplier can grow so they don’t go over the total of 2 million square feet or 46 acres. That is a minuscule grow canopy for marijuana when compared to the estimated 168,000 acres of farmland used in Washington to grow apples.

The liquor control board is exploiting Initiative 502 to create high marijuana prices that will generate the greatest amount of taxes collected for each gram of marijuana sold.

Mike Valinor

Lynnwood

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