We have already written about how the overall attitude on marijuana legalization is shifting towards a more positive image, something that has been highly unlikely in the last couple of decades. Today, the majority of the American people are now stating their support for legalization of marijuana as they believe it will completely change the course of the futile drug war, cutting down the cartels’ profits by as much as 60%. At the same time, it would generate some well-needed cash flow for the entire country, not just the state it’s legalized in. In example, Colorado is currently stacking up over $184 million in tax projections generated through legalization of marijuana. In the same vein, we hope to see Illinois legalizing marijuana sooner rather than later.

Taxation & Legalization

State Representative Sara Feigenholtz recently went on radio to state her concern about taxing marijuana. She said that legalization seems to be a far lesser problem than the actual taxation of the herb. Plus, she’s still not completely sold on legalization of marijuana for recreational use. Feigenholtz believes that a treatment fund for drug abuse should be a part of the entire marijuana legalization package in order to help those who stray and become addicted to either marijuana or an even heavier drug. While at the same time demanding safeguards that would serve as warnings for the hazards of marijuana, she fails to see that Illinois would be responsible for the successful (or unsuccessful) implementation of marijuana regulations. Nobody handed that over to Washington and Colorado on a silver platter.

Colorado and Washington Succeed

On the other hand, State Rep. Feigenholtz does admit she has been lamenting over the tax issues, as she soon has to decide whether she will be cutting the human needs program or increasing taxes even more. Needless to say, legalization of marijuana would put an end to her lamentations in a heartbeat. At the same time, she has to be aware of her importance in the legalization issue as she holds significant weight as a member of the leadership. Even Steve Brown, the press secretary for the House Speaker Michael Madigan, agrees that if Feigenholtz would sponsor a bill for the legalization of marijuana – she would probably get a lot of support for it. We believe that tax issues, which concern State Rep. Feigenholtz are not really based on anything pragmatic. If she faced problems with taxation of marijuana, then she could always turn to Colorado and Washington for help. It’s probably not in somebody’s best interest to legalize marijuana in Illinois at this very moment but we will keep you posted on future developments.