Thirty-six million dollars could pay for 450 teachers in Wisconsin.
It could fix more than 700,000 potholes.
Or it could help 12,000 struggling families stay in their apartments or homes, avoiding eviction.
And that’s just the potential impact of the $36 million in tax revenue Wisconsin could collect every year from its residents now buying cannabis in Illinois. If marijuana were legalized here — as it has been in some form in every state surrounding Wisconsin — the tax collections would easily top $100 million, according to the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
Minnesota, for example, which legalized recreational marijuana Aug. 1, expects to receive $110 million in annual tax revenue by 2027. That’s enough money to employ and train some 5,000 young people in the Wisconsin Conservation Corps, building trails, managing wildlife habitats and completing carpentry projects.
More important than tax receipts, legalizing marijuana in Wisconsin would recognize reality: Cannabis has gone mainstream. Most Americans now live in states where it is legal, and it hasn’t caused lots of problems.
Half of Wisconsin adults 21 or older live within a 75-minute drive to a…
Legalizing marijuana never made more sense for WisconsinPosted by MMP News AuthorOn August 13, 2023
Thirty-six million dollars could pay for 450 teachers in Wisconsin.
It could fix more than 700,000 potholes.
Or it could help 12,000 struggling families stay in their apartments or homes, avoiding eviction.
And that’s just the potential impact of the $36 million in tax revenue Wisconsin could collect every year from its residents now buying cannabis in Illinois. If marijuana were legalized here — as it has been in some form in every state surrounding Wisconsin — the tax collections would easily top $100 million, according to the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
People are also reading…
Minnesota, for example, which legalized recreational marijuana Aug. 1, expects to receive $110 million in annual tax revenue by 2027. That’s enough money to employ and train some 5,000 young people in the Wisconsin Conservation Corps, building trails, managing wildlife habitats and completing carpentry projects.
More important than tax receipts, legalizing marijuana in Wisconsin would recognize reality: Cannabis has gone mainstream. Most Americans now live in states where it is legal, and it hasn’t caused lots of problems.
Half of Wisconsin adults 21 or older live within a 75-minute drive to a…
Original Author Link click here to read complete story..
News
CommentaryEditorialeditorial boardopinionpolitics