Lane County voters may consider a tax on recreational marijuana in the November election. The Board of Commissioners Tuesday approved the idea of a local pot tax.
Oregon law allows municipalities to collect a voter-approved 3 percent tax in addition to the state tax of 17%. Some cities in Lane County are considering local pot tax measures too. The county measure would apply to recreational marijuana sold in unincorporated areas.
Alex Cuyler is Lane County Intergovernmental Relations Manager. He estimates the tax could raise 40 thousand dollars a month.
“It’s really tough to know because there’s so much changing in the sale of recreational marijuana right now. What I did was I looked at a county in Colorado.”
Cuyler says it’s uncertain whether the revenue would be restricted to fund a particular program or go into the general fund. The board will consider a draft ordinance at its July 12th meeting. [I’m Rachael McDonald reporting.]
