Missouri lawmaker wants to tax illegal drugs

neversickanymore

neversickanymore

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Missouri lawmaker wants to tax illegal drugs
APRIL 6, 2015,
BY JEFF BERNTHAL

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – The Missouri Narcotics Officers Association is backing a bill aimed at taking the profitability out of drug-dealing. State Rep. Shawn Rhoads, (R) West Plains, has introduced House Bill 1138. It would tax drug dealers. The bill passed out of committee last week.

Under the proposal, drug dealers would be required to purchases stamps from the Department of Revenue. The stamps would be required on any illegal drugs being sold. When drug dealers are busted, if their drugs don’t have a stamp, a fine would be levied. Money from the sale of and illegal absence of stamps would be used for drug fighting purposes.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in the St. Louis area does not have an official position on the bill but calls the idea, “intriguing.”

“It’s a way to fund treatment prevention which is sorely underfunded in the state and in the nation,” said NCADA’s Jared Opsal. “It’s also a way to fund law enforcement activities going after traffickers of illegal substances.”

Opsal is aware of 17 states with similar taxes on illegal drug sales.

“Kansas is seeing about $4 million a year. North Carolina is seeing about $9 to $10 million dollars a year,” he said.

The public awareness specialist admits some people may dismiss the idea because it sounds unusual.

continued here http://fox2now.com/2015/04/06/missouri-lawmaker-wants-to-tax-illegal-drugs/

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Usually i'm all for thinking outside the box, but this is insane. Legalize and tax it. Why continue to promote all the insanity prohibition creates and then also tax it. Once again it seems to come down to money and not whats best for the people.

This would also be another clear example of the prohibitionists ultimately receiving the profits off the black market they create and uphold.

HB 1138
 
This is absurd. Do they really think drug traffickers will come buy these stamps? It's hard to believe this is real.
 
Laws like that exist in about 20 US states already. No one expects people to buy the stamps, but it allows additional charges to be brought against someone already being charged with possession.
 
Just sounds like a good way to steal more stuff from drug users and small time dealers.
 
I like the drug dealer license plate idea better.

A state representative in Louisiana has filed legislation that would require special license plates and driver’s licenses for individuals convicted of drug-related offenses, the News-Star reported Feb. 16.

Under the proposal presented by Rep. Rickey Hardy (D-Lafayette), individuals who have two or more convictions for distributing drugs would have to pay for a bright orange license plate labeled boldly with “Controlled Substance Conviction.”

The proposed law states that following a second felony drug conviction, the offender would apply for the special license plate, pay an extra $10 administration fee plus $25 for the plate, and that the license plates would remain on the offender’s vehicle for eight years.

Hardy conceded that the bill’s purpose is to embarrass and create social pressure on repeat drug offenders. “If they don’t want to be upstanding citizens, make them stand out. They want a badge of honor? Here it is,” Hardy said.

The proposed legislation also asks for a one-year suspension of driving privileges for failure to comply with the requirements of the proposed law.
Click to expand...

http://www.drugfree.org/join-together/la-legislator-seeks-special-license-plates-for-drug-dealers-2/
 
In Australia, there's a few different activities that are illegal in some states (at the state level, obv) but that you're required to pay tax on because the federal position is that they're not necessarily crimes.
 
First thing I thought...BC you know all self proclaimed drug dealers will buy stamps and avoid the fee for not having one....the idea is totally insane. The entire tax stamp thing is bs, if you want to buy certain guns for example you also have to buy a tax stamp of about 200. Some guns could require two if it was a short barrel rifle with a suppressor so an extra 4 bills on top of the already expensive gun.

Any way the gov loves stealing from citizens and its just another way to make the super profitable drug war even more profitable. The only people who don't want to see legalization are the producers\cartels and leo because it reduces their need thus reducing their money.
 
Amazing. This a truly fantastic level of deluded thinking.
 
That would be my first thought when peddling drugs. Im gonna buy drug stamps becuase when I get caught with these 15kilos of coke that I plan to successfully smuggle I don't want pay a fine and go to prison for 30 years.
 
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