Marijuana legalization grows closer with Senate tax proposal

Full article is at the link here.  Intro to new piece for thehill.com is:

Want to legalize marijuana federally? Propose sensible taxes on the drug.

That’s the tactic of a new bill from two Oregon Democrats: House Ways
and Means Committee member Earl Blumenauer and ranking Senate Finance Committee member Ron Wyden. It takes on tough questions: What should a marijuana tax measure? Should it tax medical marijuana? The Marijuana Revenue and Regulation Act (MRRA) provides thoughtful answers.

What to tax?

The 64-page bill, S. 776, and House companions H.R. 1823 and 1841, starts out problematically, taxing marijuana by price for a five-year transition period, but ends up brilliantly, with sophisticated weight-based taxes for the long run. A companion bill repeals the useful current tax on advertising.

http://64.147.104.30/blogs/pundits-blog/economy-budget/327694-marijuana-legalization-grows-closer-with-senate-tax

Thanks to Joe Murphy, member of the Center for New Revenue Board of Advisors, for sitting down with me for hours about a week ago to help make this understandable.