According to CNN Money, the state of Michigan could make up to 32.4 million dollars in tax revenue if it were taxed in the state. Michigan would rank 6th among all the states, behind California, New York, Florida, Texas and Ohio, respectively. The only place in the country that currently taxes medical marijuana is Oakland, Calif. I want to localize this story to Michigan, more specifically, East Lansing.
I want to talk to students around campus and also other people around campus to get a reaction from them about the projected money that the state could make from taxing medical marijuana and if it would be a good idea. Considering the way our economy has been lately and the debt our state budget has been in, I am wondering if people would be accepting of this new tax because it could bring so much money to the state.
This story contains lots of elements of a news story like timeliness, because of the economy, impact, because medical marijuana has been legalized here, and controversy, because taxation of marijuana is something that a lot of people might be against.
4 Comments
November 5, 2009 at 11:52 am
David: I think this is a terrific localization idea. Really good. You’ll need to seek the other side as well — what are the downsides to taxing medical marijuana? Because Oakland, Calif., is the only city so far to tax, it would be great for you to talk to a city manager or tax expert there to find out what this has meant for that community. And of course, to talk to someone in East Lansing government — a council member or city manager — for their take. Look for people who will bring INFORMED sourcing. For example, doctors or patients who are actually using medical marijuana instead of just random students or residents.
November 5, 2009 at 5:17 pm
This is a really interesting story. I would try and find someone locally who uses medical marijuana and get their view on the new tax. Finding someone or a group who is against medical marijuana and get their view on the new tax, may bring out the other side’s view as well. Getting some statistics about how much money the state could bring in with the economy and where they wish to use the money may help back up the story.
November 5, 2009 at 5:20 pm
This, my friend, is quite the interesting topic to explore due to how much controversy is surrounding the whole issue. Like Nancy said, there has to be an emphasis on informed sourcing since most people walking down Grand River will probably tell you that Medicinal Marijuana and the steps toward legalizing it is the best thing ever since sliced bread. A quote or two from the general poplation is needed, though, to put whatever information given by the informed sources into prespective on a societal level.
November 5, 2009 at 5:40 pm
I agree with Nancy that it would be a good idea to find out what some of the members of the local government think about the possibility of this idea. Also, you could look into what kind of guidelines are enforced in Oakland for the usage of the marijuana, or what local officials think possible guidelines could be. For example, what would be the age requirements? – Any amount limits? – Guidelines to form of use? etc.