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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW More thunderstorms expected ... Stay out of the creek, officials warn ... Motor home destroyed in Talent-area fire ... More thunderstorms expected ... Stay out of the creek, officials warn ... Motor home destroyed in Talent-area fire ... OUR VIEW Our View: Pot tax fairness Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Feb. 25, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Feb. 25, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News If you were surprised to find a ballot in your mailbox recently with only one item it, here's the lowdown: You may recall local governments nearly tripping over each other last year to get marijuana tax ordinances on their books before Measure 91 was approved legalizing recreational use of the drug. The ballot measure specifically bars any local taxes in favor of a carefully calculated statewide rate, and in fact includes language repealing any local taxes that might have been passed. For some reason, the drafters of Measure 91 figured that would happen. That didn't stop localities from rushing to enact their own taxes first, on the theory that they would be "grandfathered in." The courts likely will wind up deciding whether the local tariffs are legal. In any case, retail sale of marijuana won't become legal until 2016. Meanwhile, the county wanted in on the fun, too. But under the law, county boards of commissioners cannot enact taxes on their own, as city councils can. Any county taxes must be put to a vote. So the Jackson County commissioners last year enacted their own tax — subject to voter approval — and submitted it for the next available election date, which happens to be March 10. Since local municipalities, including Ashland, have already enacted marijuana taxes, it seems only fair to give the county the same opportunity. As we noted earlier, the courts may well invalidate all of them anyway.   DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Feb. 25, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501