I probably think about the connections between tax policy and legalizing marijuana more than anyone in America.
What most people don’t realize is that the two are actually deeply connected when it comes to issues of reparative justice.
Back when the “radical socialist” Dwight D. Eisenhower was President, marijuana arrests were very low and the tax rates for the richest 1% were very high. The revenue from these taxes on the rich helped fund ambitious projects like the interstate highway system. That’s how we know that making the wealthy pay their fair share is a great way to fund public goods that benefit everyone.
I don’t know about you, but that is the kind of America I want to live in. A functioning society that includes public education, safe infrastructure, and opportunity for all doesn’t come cheap and we don’t kid ourselves that a 3-5% tax on marijuana alone will pay for it.
There are so many programs BOWL PAC is fighting for that desperately need additional funding, from expungement, resentencing, and reentry support to community centers and better schools in neighborhoods that have seen the highest rates of cannabis-related arrests.
In solidarity,
Justin
Justin Strekal
Founding Organizer
BOWL PAC
P.S. We’re fighting everyday to defeat prohibitionists in Congress, but our average donation is just $13 and Geo Group, the largest private prison corporation in the US, has already spent almost a million dollars just to Republican candidates.[1] Will you chip in $5 a month or more to support our cause? Together, we will better organize and win legalization.
[1] OpenSecrets
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