[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 13, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H4957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TAX MARIJUANA AND HEMP

  (Mr. POLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, there are ongoing negotiations about how to 
deal with our Nation's budget deficit. And while we need to make the 
tough cuts as part of the package, we also need new revenues.
  One idea for new revenues would be to regulate and tax marijuana and 
hemp across the country. Fifteen States and the District of Columbia 
have various level of degrees of medical marijuana or legalized medical 
marijuana. And yet rather than have any tax at the Federal level that 
actually produces income, we effectively have 100 percent tax; namely, 
it's confiscated by the Federal Government if it's discovered.
  By reducing the tax rate on marijuana and hemp to be in line with 
alcohol and tobacco, we will generate tens of billions of dollars for 
revenue to reduce the deficit, and it won't make marijuana or hemp 
legal in any jurisdiction in this country where it is currently 
illegal. It will simply collect revenue from the States that have 
chosen to go down the route of medical marijuana or marijuana 
legalization and create revenue for the taxpayers to bring to the table 
as part of this deficit deal.
  I encourage my colleagues to support reducing the marijuana tax.

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