Ned Lamont's Democrat Led Connecticut Loves Vices Like Legalized Marijuana

 

I really believe Ned Lamont's Democrat-led Connecticut loves vices.  I know in actuality a majority of legal state taxpayers and citizens deplore them. But with the state-run media in step with the Lamont-led Connecticut Democrat Party, vice and corruption is now an accepted way of life and doing business in once was known as the "Constitution State".  With the new legalized marijuana taxed sales, all will be well with both state finances and for addiction to drugs in general. 

Legal marijuana sales is the new quick fix to solving Connecticut's now 34th year of economic decline and decay just like the state income tax was, the legalization of casino gambling was, the extension of lottery sales 24/7/365 was, the massive taxes on cigarettes were, and that online gambling was and many other nuisance taxes/fees were.  Vice taxes are essential to a state as small as Connecticut to help them continue to spend over $21 billion dollars a year while maintaining a mere $150 billion dollars in short and long term debt along with unfunded liabilities. 

The new euphoric legal marijuana tax is a mere 6.35% state sales tax, a 3% municipal tax, and about 10-15% state cannabis tax based on THC content.  The THC content is a complex formula that is computed at 0.625 cents per milligram of total THC for cannabis plant material, 2.75 cents per milligram of total THC for cannabis edible products and 0.9 cents per milligram of total THC for cannabis, other than cannabis plant material or cannabis edible products (whatever this gibberish means).  I really wonder how these guidelines will be enforced as they make little economic sense to me and I am sure is as confusing as possible for the "legal" sellers.  For Connecticut Taxpayers none of this money will going to any type of debt relief and or lower taxes. 

For fiscal years 2022 to 2023, 100% of the taxes will go to the "Cannabis Regulatory and Investment Account".  This account will then pay the new state legalized marijuana bureaucracy to help pay costs that the involved state agencies are spending for the implementation of the new law.  I wonder what happens if there is not enough money to cover these new costs?  However, things improve in fiscal years 2024 to 2026 as a whopping 15% of the tax goes to the bottomless pit slush fund of state government known as the "General Fund", while 60% goes to the "Social Equity and Innovation Fund", a fund that is a favorite of Ned Lamont and his political hierarchy giving  cash for business capital, technical assistance for business start-ups and operations, workforce education, and community investment, etc. of a predetermined class of people, and lastly 25% goes to the "Prevention and Recovery Services Fund" to help substance abuse programs deal with future societal wreckage as apparently legalized marijuana will help to create new drug abuse and abusers for the future.  Diminishing monies go into the General Fund until 2029 when then, it receives zero tax revenue while the bulk of tax monies reverts to this "Social Equity and Innovation Fund".  But Connecticut even does "wrong" worse than any other state, let alone doing "right!" in comparison to surrounding states that have started recreational marijuana sales, Connecticut has the highest taxes in the area. (https://portal.ct.gov/cannabis/Knowledge-Base/Categories/Business-Information/Retail-Sales).

Thus from an economic view I really do not see how the negative social and medical effects will not outweigh the hypothetical economic benefits for these sales/taxes.  Taxes being collected from legalizing marijuana sales apparently are going into secretive and hidden sources that will once again pick winners and losers in the state economy in the usual Connecticut/Lamont way that we have all come to know. If legalized marijuana sales are so great for the state economy and public welfare, why is money being funneled into substance abuse programs?  Isn't it logical to think that in state that already has a massive illegal drug problem, how does legalizing this drug not help to create a new legalized drug problem and far worse parallel consequences?  Connecticut Taxpayers once again get the short end of the stick with legalized marijuana sales. 

It is pathetic to see the downward social, economic and spiritual trajectory for Connecticut with these new Utopian legalized marijuana drug sales taking place. I really wonder how many elected officials of any party actually read the law and understood the taxing payments, tax policies and where the tax revenue actually goes when they voted on the bill.  But in a state where crime reigns supreme, political corruption and nepotism is a way of life, and an incomprehensible, massive and not sustainable state debt and unfunded liabilities crisis rolls on daily with some of the highest taxes in the country and a pitifully decaying infrastructure, why would Connecticut Taxpayers expect anything different?  Of course not, as an endless, omnipotent, terminally inept, and ruthless one party rule of Ned Lamont and his Connecticut Democrats continues unchecked while their Socialistic makeover of the once proud and independent "Constitution State"  keeps rolling on.  Enough is enough.

0.9 cents per milligram of total THC for cannabis, other than cannabis plant material or cannabis edible products.