Opinion: Poll: Should medical marijuana be taxed in Los Angeles?

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On Wednesday, Councilwoman Janice Hahn called for Los Angeles to make a little (or a lot) of money off the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries.

Hahn suggested during last week’s L.A. city council meeting that a city tax on medical marijuana could provide millions of dollars to a cash-strapped city. More than 400 dispensaries operate in Los Angeles, none of which are currently taxed. Her argument: pot is like any other commodity.

Oakland has a similar measure on the table (Measure F) that their city council will consider on Tuesday. Also, the California legislature is contemplating a statewide tax on marijuana that would be taxed similarly to alcohol. State officials say it could make upwards of $1 billion for California.

L.A. Weekly points out that a tax on marijuana could end up just like any other ‘sin tax,’ or a tax on things such as cigarettes and liquor (products considered bad for one’s health, though the whole purpose of medical mary jane is, well, medicinal, right?). The newspaper envisions little or no opposition to the bill, as the city lacks a pot pharmacy lobby and sin taxes are generally approved by the greater population.

Though such a proposal could make Los Angeles hundreds of millions of dollars richer, the fact remains that medical marijuana is still illegal on the federal level, and the Drug Enforcement Agency raids pharmacies regularly. So would imposing a tax on medical marijuana hasten the complete legitimization of dispensaries? And at what cost? Tell us what you think.

--Catherine Lyons