New tax bill proposed on high potency cannabis products

New legislation out of Olympia is looking to place a higher tax on cannabis products in Washington state based on how much THC is in them.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana, and studies have shown that it can have negative effects on brain development, especially for those younger than 25.

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Ezra Eickmeyer with Producers Northwest testified that the drug does indeed have a negative effect on the young brain.

“I’m not going to debate whether there’s harm happening to the use of cannabis use, like whether it’s psychosis or other issues. We all agree in this room that youth shouldn’t be experimenting with this stuff,” Eickmeyer said.

Public testimony for House Bill 1641 took place Thursday, with people testifying about the dangers of high-THC marijuana products.

“We’re here to talk about our son Brandon Danielson who was taken from us on September 3, 2019, due directly to the use of high-potency marijuana.” said parent Don Danielson in front of the committee. “Brandon was diagnosed with CHS where he would go into bouts of repeated vomiting, nausea, stomach pains, and extreme dehydration.”

If HB 1641 passes, the new taxes would be split into three potency levels. A 37% tax on products with THC concentrations of less than 35%, a 50% tax on concentrations of 35-59%, and a 65% tax on concentrations of THC of 60% or more.

The money from the tax would pay for research and testing, among other things.

Opponents of the bill argue that the tax won’t sway youth from using the drug and, in actuality, would push them towards the black market, which is fully unregulated and could cause more harm.

An alternate solution that Eickmeyer proposes is looking at ways to increase educational campaigns in schools so that kids will be better educated about the dangers of cannabis.

“We don’t want teenagers using it. I do not want my kids using cannabis or other drugs and alcohol,” Eickmeyer said. “And we know that the only way to achieve that, especially with the illicit market out there, is putting real money behind getting our kids to understand how dangerous it is for them to experiment with anything. We think that there’s a better alternative out there that would actually work.”