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Petition to Allow
Marijuana Producers and Distributors to Pay Taxes
RESOLVED: LET US
PAY TAXES
Whereas, the total value of
the marijuana and marijuana-related products sold in the United States each
year is estimated from 10 billion dollars to 70 billion dollars per year;
Whereas, the potential tax
revenues on marijuana sales in the state of California are more than a billion
dollars per year, and more than six billion dollars nationwide;
Whereas, tax revenues from
marijuana are currently zero;
Whereas, sensibly
regulated marijuana sales would reduce the foreign trade deficit by tens of
billions of dollars and provide new jobs within the United States;
Whereas, the states of Alaska,
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Montana,
Maine, Vermont, and New Mexico have passed laws to allow the use of medical
marijuana;
Whereas, states should be
allowed to regulate access to marijuana for their own citizens similar to the
way in which they regulate access for alcohol and tobacco;
Whereas, medical patients need
safe, affordable, and reliable sources of medicine;
Whereas, there are no current
standards for warning labels and cautionary information on medical marijuana,
or any other kind of marijuana;
Whereas, the media has
reported problems with unregulated marijuana dispensaries engaging in unethical
actions which might be prevented by proper regulation;
Whereas, honest business
owners providing a service to medical patients find it difficult to know the
rules and laws which will allow them to fairly operate as honest businesses;
Whereas, every significant
government commission that has studied the marijuana laws in the last 100 years
has concluded that marijuana prohibition was based on ignorance and nonsense,
that it does more harm than good, and that it should repealed and sensible
regulations for the distribution and use of marijuana should be established;
Therefore be it resolved, that we call upon the California state
and Federal governments to establish sensible regulations for the legal
production and sale of marijuana within the United States
Therefore be it resolved, that we
call upon the state and Federal governments to
allow marijuana producers and sellers to follow the same laws
and standards as any other business and to pay their fair and equal share of
the appropriate taxes.
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