Taxes on MMJ

The Durango Herald reported today I do not support a tax on medical marijuana (MMJ), while the other candidates do. This is true for now, for two reasons. One, my starting position to the government budget crisis is to not immediately run to a new tax increase of any sort, until, a legitimate case has been built for doing so, it has been completed vetted in the public, and the intended uses of the revenue and public benefit have been clearly defined. Government has to first learn to live within its means before it can ask the public to reach back into its pockets.

Two, as long as state law defines MMJ as such and its intended uses are for medical reasons only, then I cannot support any additional taxes other than the current sales taxes and registration fees that are already in place. However, if the discussion were to ever turn to the legalization of marijuana as a recreational drug, then we are having a completely different conversation.

http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/News/2010/07/24/Senate_candidates_...