10:00am | The Long Beach City Council will determine the fate of smokers throughout the city when they discuss two items – one concerning cigarettes, the other marijuana – during tonight’s meeting.
Remember when smoking was banned at local beaches, and some saw this as a major infringement upon their rights? I would expect those people will not be happy to find they probably won’t be able to go to small parks, either. Councilmember Suja Lowenthal says that when she visits small parks, it’s difficult to avoid people who are smoking, and so the Council will consider a smoking ban at the 87 small parks around the city. Current rules state that smoking is not allowed within 25 feet of a playground, but that doesn’t help small parks that don’t have playgrounds, says Lowenthal. Councilmembers Robert Garcia and Gary DeLong have signed on their support.
So now that we’ve determined where you are no longer allowed to smoke, let us discuss the things that will cost you an additional fee in order to smoke.
Marijuana. Looking toward a near future where marijuana collectives are granted permits to operate in Long Beach, the City Council will consider a motion tonight to tax sales on the medicinal drug by five-percent. This practice is currently done in Oakland, where some estimate that it raised about $1 million for the city. Long Beach’s proposed tax rate is higher than Oakland’s with nearly ten times the number of collectives, and in a city facing an $18.5 million budget deficit, someone smells opportunity. If voters legalize marijuana this November, that tax could increase to ten-percent.
The question is, if medical marijuana is deemed and sold as medicine, how do we feel about taxing patients for their prescriptions? Some people feel that medical marijuana customers are not sick and are just taking advantage of a loophole to get high, but what about those who need it for their illnesses? I wouldn’t hold your breath for an upcoming Tylenol Tax.
The meeting begins at 5:00pm tonight.
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