The Lane County Board of Commissioners Tuesday approved a local tax on marijuana. The ordinance passed 4 to 1 after only one person spoke at a public hearing.
The board meeting was sparsely attended. The only person who commented at the public hearing was against the tax. The Lane County tax would apply to both recreational and medical marijuana if Oregon’s Measure 91 is approved by voters in November. The measure would legalized and tax recreational marijuana statewide. But Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich says the measure doesn’t allocate enough money to local governments.
Bozievich: “Where’s the demand for services going to be? It’s going to be to local boards of public health, which Lane County is and to the local public safety providers. It’s not going to be to the Oregon education system where 40 % of the money’s currently tagged to go.”
Commissioner Pete Sorenson voted against the ordinance. Local governments in Oregon have been rushing to consider pot taxes hoping they can be grandfathered in after the election. Springfield, Monday, approved its own city pot tax. Eugene decided not to impose one.
