Monday, July 23, 2018

Up In Smoke

Legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use in Pennsylvania could generate more than $580 million in tax revenue for the state, said Auditor General Eugene DePasquale in a report issued Thursday morning.
“Pennsylvania’s budget challenges are now a consistent factor in all state policy decisions,” said DePasquale, a Democrat. “Taxing marijuana offers a rare glimmer of fiscal hope, providing a way to refocus the state budget process away from filling its own gaps.”
Next year, the state could face a shortfall of close to $1 billion, he said in an interview.
The paragraphs above are from a Philadelphia Inquirer story last week.  I'm not getting into an opinion here, but here is what bothers me.  It seems the push to legalize recreational marijuana is not based on whether it's a good idea.  It's because the state is broke.  There is a problem here.

We saw similar philosophies in the liquor, gambling, lottery and firworks expansions.  The first question isn't "Is this good government?"  It's "How much can we make from this?"