How tax reform could push more states to legalize marijuana

Well, this is some interesting turn of events. Appears that the new tax reform is going to push more states to legalize marijuana in the same way that gambling spread.

Link to article

a reply to: HunkaHunka


My experience tells Me whenever You mix in the word "push" it never ends well.. How about those who want to use Cannabis can use it; Those who don't want to use it, don't have to, they can cry into their beers and/or martinis??

Then using the term "tax reform" it NEVER gets reformed. Those w/the $$$ going in, come out w/the $$$. Those in the 'middle' get to pay for those who don't pay into the pot and the taxes lost for those that had the $$$ going in (richies)

Maybe make it compulsory so those who get to pay, catch a cool buzz...

Stay Hydrated...

Should the greedy pigs be entitled to more tax dollars when they have used mj laws to destroy countless lives?

I haven't been able to get a decent job for the past decade, but these fks get to make bank?

It needs immediate tomato status, like the weed it is.

The BS criminal record system needs fixed fn now.

a reply to: HunkaHunka
at the very least you should have included why in the OP. Here is the why:

".... by eliminating the state and local tax deduction (SALT) in the new federal tax bill, the Republican Congress and Donald Trump may be giving all of those states every incentive to legalize recreational marijuana."

Sounds good to me! But I live in Florida and there are no state taxes. We are baby stepping our way to recreational though, at least we sort of have medicinal.

Im in California, and people have plants in their back yard all up and down the street. I don't know how they will tax that.

It really was stinking outside about a month or so ago. like someone ran over a skunk!
The police don't care unless they have over 100 plants I heard. The old woman across the street called 911, and the police told her to mind her own business and stay off the emergency line unless she has a real emergency.
The police went to one guys house to count the plants, then told him " real nice gorilla goo plants, you did a good job growing them"
Isnt that funny?

Originally, I read this article to see when I could plant a garden. But it has some really interesting tidbits.

Ironically, in getting revenge on blue states by eliminating the state and local tax deduction (SALT) in the new federal tax bill, the Republican Congress and Donald Trump may be giving all of those states every incentive to legalize recreational marijuana today – and eventually legalize other drugs too.

Take New Jersey and New York. Both are very high tax states where eliminating the SALT deduction will hit residents and local governments especially hard. Now that New Yorkers and New Jerseyites are going to see their federal taxes rise by as much as 7 to 8 percent, they're going to have to find savings somewhere.

Apparently, taxes are so high in "blue states" that the only way people can tolerate them is to be able to deduct them off their federal taxes. In effect, the governments in these states are so expensive that everyone else in the country has to pay for them. Why is that? Why should my federal tax dollars go to supporting New York state government?

The state next door sees its residents cross the border to gamble and they inevitably say to themselves, "Why are we losing all of this revenue to Indiana/ New Jersey/ Arizona?" Then they authorize their own casinos to try to recapture the revenue (and it's far easier to justify the decision when the state next door is already doing it). The elimination of SALT is going to do the same thing for recreational drugs. Phil Murphy, New Jersey's governor-elect, has already pledged to pass legalization of recreational marijuana. Most New Jersey insiders think the legislature will go along. Once cannabis becomes legal in New Jersey and available for purchase to anyone over the age of 18, New Yorkers are going to start flooding into dispensaries in Hoboken and Jersey City to buy weed without having to take any risk.

Drugs are bad, m'kay? People who do drugs should be in jail, m'kay? Unless it puts money in the state's coffers. Then drugs are okay, m'kay?

Cities and states will need new money to satisfy one group of powerful constituencies (big campaign donors like public labor unions, progressive policy groups, hospitals, nursing homes, etc…) but they'll also need to avoid raising taxes to avoid angering another power constituency (the voters).

It's kind of surprising to see a CNBC article admitting that organizations like labor unions, progressive policy groups, and hospitals seem to have a different agenda for government than voters. I guess it's so obvious now, why deny it?

Commentary by Bradley Tusk, a political strategist and venture capitalist who leads political advisory firm Tusk Strategies.

So this article was written by a guy who works for one of those progressive policy groups that seem to be at odds with voters. Cool.

I looked to see what our Presidents said about it long ago and here is what I found

“Make the most you can of the Indian hemp seed and sow it everywhere.” – George Washington

"Some of my finest hours have been spent on my back veranda, smoking hemp and observing as far as my eye can see." - Thomas Jefferson

"Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica.” – Abraham Lincoln

a reply to: visitedbythem

Yes but I didn't inhale Bill Clinton.

originally posted by: bobthetog
a reply to: visitedbythem

Yes but I didn't inhale. -Bill Clinton.

I thought Obama said that.

OK the Senate has just passed their version of the bill. The updated Bill will now go and be re-voted on by the house and Senate... If it passes with the changes it will be presented for the President to sign.. I seriously doubt if there are any but the very few who knows what is actually in the finalized bill the president will be presented with because it still ain't finalized.

a reply to: VictorVonDoom


Reads like what I typed. The "middle" always gets reamed. Those that have the $$$ and could actually afford the rise in taxes, make the tax laws and then have their teams full of tax lawyers to finagle to save as much 'outgoing' as possible. When these folks get any inkling of a 'shortage' (as they see it) then they make more tax laws to 'rob the middle'...

Don't forget the "Private Prisons" This is for those folks that have $$$ AND a Jones. These folks usually live in the Suburbs and before they get incarcerated, they get 'their day in court' and get most of their fund$$ sucked up in Probation and Court costs.

The folks that live in the urban areas (lower income) just get taken to Jail and are represented by the Public Pretender and these folks end up taking a "Plea Deal" (95% of those incarcerated are there on a Plea Bargain)

There is NOT more dope being used in the Urban areas, it is just these folks won't hire an attorney..

And the folks in the Suburbs get to pay for the show...

Just like it ever was, just like it ever was. They will just change the stripes on the zebra...

originally posted by: bobthetog
a reply to: visitedbythem

Yes but I didn't inhale Bill Clinton.

Sounds just like "I didn't have sex w/that intern..."

I must be missing the point. If the new fed tax law prohibits me from deducting state tax, how does that hurt the state? It's me that loses and legalizing pot won't help me.

By the way, even though I don't like pot myself, I am in favor of legalizing it. People should be able to grow and smoke it if hey want to.

Ever buy a gun? The form the criminals require you to fill out asks 'are you addicted to any drugs, including MJ?'

This is a plan folks, you think the tyrannical government wants to give you any freedoms back? LoL! Or they 'need the money' that they create out of thin air?? It's a plan. Just seen were Hawaii is already wanting to confiscate the guns of those using medical MJ.

originally posted by: LogicalGraphitti
I must be missing the point. If the new fed tax law prohibits me from deducting state tax, how does that hurt the state? It's me that loses and legalizing pot won't help me.

Back in the early days of the IRS, some companies had a system to show people that their lower paychecks were not the fault of the company.

They set up a series of pay windows. At the first window, you get your paycheck. Next window, you cash it. Next window, you pay your federal tax. Next window, state tax, and so on. It didn't change the amount of tax you paid, but having to fork out cash at each window had a much different impact on employees than reading deductions on a stub. It's a matter of perception. People got more riled up about cash that left their hands than money they never saw. The IRS forced them to stop the practice.

The state tax deduction is another perception issue. Whether you can deduct or not, the state gets the same money. But if you can't deduct, and see the loss more directly, you might start to question why the state taxes are so high for your state as compared to others. You might pressure the state to lower taxes, or you might go to a state with lower taxes. Then the state starts to lose revenue.

a reply to: visitedbythem

Were you smoking at the time?

originally posted by: Regnor
a reply to: visitedbythem

Were you smoking at the time?

Mom says that kids that have marijuana cant keep up in school, and get bad grades, same as alcohol. They cant become nurses, or get other good jobs, and they probably wont find a good husband either. The presidents were grown ups

a reply to: visitedbythem

My apologies. I thought you were just making up those "quotes" because I've read a number of books on Lincoln and never heard that supposed quote before. But I see now that some believe it's an actual quote.