Editor's Note: It is getting more and more difficult to ignore the financial windfalls happening in Washington and Colorado, and the potential for other states to give their budgets a major boost, especially as the arguments against marijuana continue to lose traction as the marijuana-legalization path is paved. Kudos to Ethan Orr for his approach to bringing this issue to the forefront in Arizona … and let's hope the discussions he is hoping for come to fruition.
Mindful of the boost to Colorado’s budget generated by taxes on legal marijuana, a Republican member of the Arizona legislature wants his state to adopt a similar system to help fill his state’s bigger-than-expected budget shortfall.
While Colorado recently received a report which projected the state will collect $175 million in tax revenue on sales of marijuana through fiscal 2017, Arizona lawmakers were told last week to expect a budget deficit of $520 million at the end of this budget period. By the end of fiscal 2016, the shortfall is expected to be as much a $1 billion.
That’s why Ethan Orr, a GOP member of the Arizona House, is urging his colleagues to follow the path blazed by Colorado – decriminalize weed and tax sales of legal marijuana.
