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October 19. 2014 2:00AM Since You Asked: County will consider pot tax Some of the cities around here are already planning a pot tax. If the legalization initiative passes, what will happen to the areas outside the cities in the county? How does that work? — Tom C., Eagle Point You’re right, Tom, cities are scrambling to get some kind of a tax on the books in case Ballot Measure 91 passes on Nov. 4. Most cities have enacted some kind of tax, either on medical marijuana or on recreational marijuana. Next Wednesday, Jackson County Commissioners will consider a sliding-scale tax that could be as much as 24 percent on the production and sale of marijuana. “It’s basically modeled after the state ballot initiative,” Commissioner Doug Breidenthal said. The county currently has a one-year moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries as it awaits more direction from the state and allows court cases to play out, Breidenthal said. The county, as well as many local cities, is looking at a Josephine County Circuit Court decision last Thursday that allows cities to ban medical marijuana dispensaries. Many cities throughout Oregon, including Medford, have argued that they can impose a ban on dispensaries, and Judge Pat Wolke found there was nothing in the dispensary law to prevent them from taking that step. Wolke said cities shouldn’t be forced to allow marijuana sales because it is still against federal law, an argument the city of Medford also made when it successfully shut down a marijuana dispensary. Breidenthal said local governments are trying to get a tax in place because they fear that a statewide tax on recreational marijuana that is part of the ballot measure will funnel most of the dollars collected into the Portland area. Breidenthal said the county hasn’t yet discussed whether it would attempt to ban marijuana sales in the future if the ballot measure passes. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141019/NEWS/141019663 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->