Smoke Pot To Help The Homeless

One city in America has come up with a novel way of addressing the issue of homelessness – a tax on marijuana.

City officials in Los Angeles are reportedly thinking of using some of the tax revenue generated from the local medical marijuana industry to build more affordable housing units for local residents. The local government has approved a $2 billion budget plan to get homeless people off the streets and into a new housing project. But the challenge for administrators has been finding the money to finance such an extensive construction campaign.

Chief Administrative Officer, Miguel Santana, told the City Council: “Even as our economy improves, we do not anticipate to have an additional $1.78 billion over the next 10 years to dedicate for this purpose,”

One of the proposals being considered is a 15% tax on the cultivation and sale of medical marijuana that could generate nearly $17 million a year. And, if California voters decide later this year to legalise marijuana for recreational use, the annual revenue could increase exponentially.

This is not just a pie-in-the-sky idea as a number of California cities have already adopted similar medical marijuana tax plans, including the municipalities of Riverside County, Cathedral City, and Desert Hot Springs.

If the Council does approve the marijuana tax, voters would get to decide on the issue in the forthcoming November election or during the Primary Nominating Election ballot next March. But with an estimated 254,000 homeless people living in Los Angeles County, officials should act quickly.

The City Council must make a decision on this issue before July.