Rep. Dickerson Introduces Bill to Regulate and Tax Marijuana

State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson has introduced legislation that would regulate and tax marijuana for adults 21 and older. HB 1550 directs the Washington State Liquor Control Board to regulate marijuana production and sales. Now is the time to pass legislation like this - our current marijuana laws harm public safety as well as public health.

Taxing and strictly regulating marijuana would get it off the streets and under the control of state authorities, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year. And scarce public safety resources could be used to protect our communities from violence instead of to pursue and criminalize adult marijuana users. Treating marijuana use as a public health issue is the right aprroach.   

A fiscal note prepared by the state Office of Financial Management in 2010 estimates that this type of law would save tax dollars and raise millions in revenue each year. Here is a breakdown of the estimated savings and revenue:

Increased Annual Revenue:                                  

Department of Revenue                                             $45,947,000

Liquor Control Board                                                 140,757,657

Local Governments                                                    15,681,000

Total Revenues                                                     $202,385,657

Reduced Annual Costs:

Misdemeanor Prosecutions                                         $11,774,925

Felony Prosecutions                                                     6,965,000

Court Costs                                                                 4,079,660

Arrest costs                                                                 3,102,375

Department of Corrections                                             1,380,911         

Washington State Patrol Crime Lab                                  222,700

Total Savings                                                          $27,525,571

It's time to start treating marijuana use as a public health issue instead of a crime. It's time to start regulating its use and sale. And it's time to start taxing it, so that we can collect hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues for our strapped government budgets.

Tell your legislators about the importance of reforming our state’s marijuana laws.