Expand sin tax on pot

Jeff Sessions, the new attorney general appointee, has been quoted as saying “good people do not smoke marijuana.” Obviously this leaves pot smokers as sinners. But declaring marijuana use a “sin” may make it possible to solve several problems:

1. If marijuana is simply a sin, and not a Schedule I drug (heroin and LSD are classified as Schedule I), then the federal government can add a sin tax to marijuana. A recent S-R article stated that pot sales had created $357 million in taxes since 2014 for the state of Washington. If the federal government adds a sin tax at the same rate as the state tax, that would be a very large windfall. It could be used to fund the infrastructure rebuild that everyone wants.

2. If marijuana is a sin, not a Schedule I drug, retail pot shops can be treated as other retailers, with access to banking services, such as debit/credit sales, and can deduct business costs from their taxes.

Hope Roszell

Spokane