Commission to vote on putting marijuana tax on the ballot

The Hill County Commission will be voting Thursday on whether or not to put a 3 percent tax on medical and recreational marijuana products from Hill County dispensaries on the general election ballot this year.

Hill County Commissioner Jake Strissel said 3 percent is the maximum allowable tax by the state and wanted to stress that it is a tax that only users would be paying.

Strissel said this a “sin tax,” effectively a sales tax on a specific item, so if someone isn’t using the substance they will not be paying anything.

He said he feels there’s been some miscommunication on how the tax works and he’s heard people concerned about paying taxes for something they philosophically disagree with, so he wants to make sure everyone understands that that is not how the tax will work.

As for where that 3 percent will go, he said, that’s something that isn’t set in stone, and he’s interested to hear from the public about where they would like it to go.

He said the commission is required to hold two public meetings on the subject before the election and that is a subject he would like to hear from people on.

“I’d really like to get public opinions on where people would like to see it go,” Strissel said.

He said the people who’ve come to him about the subject already have proposed putting that money toward road improvements, and that is certainly on the table, but he’d like to see at least part of it go to law enforcement.

He said he’d like to see it pay for Drug Recognition Expert training, which helps officers identify drivers under the influence of substances other than, or in addition to, alcohol, which he said will improve public safety.

“I’d like to see this pass and for us to use it for the greater good of Hill County,” Strissel said.

He said he’s cautiously optimistic the tax will pass Thursday, but he’s always wary of making such predictions.

Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean expressed support for the tax at a GOP event in February of this year, saying she disagreed with legalizing marijuana, but now that it is legal the tax can be used to improve the county.

Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson has not indicated a specific stance on the tax.