State Rep. Vincent Candelora proposed legislation that would impose a six percent tax on medical marijuana.
Tom Schultz, president of Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions, one of the four licensed medical marijuana producers in the state, is strongly against the idea. He said the state’s 17,000 registered users already pay about $250 a year for a medical exam and registration fee.
Schultz told the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee at a recent hearing that a better approach would be to find somewhere else to spread the taxes rather than onto people with a diminished ability to pay.
"Now we’re talking about patients with diseases like cancer, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis, and AIDS," he said. "And we’re talking about veterans with PTSD. We would not want to see anything done with this program that would tend to push those people back toward the black market."
Candelora said he’s sympathetic to the issue of drug costs, but wondered about the profiting businesses.
"If the markups are so great, I just wonder if the dispensaries are able to absorb anything," said Candelora. "Because it seems as if, you know, the producers are the ones that put the bond out, that have the brick-and-mortar that is growing the material. The dispensaries are merely selling them."
Schultz pointed out that marijuana producers pay an annual $75,000 licensing fee, and dispensaries pay a $5,000 fee.
Seymour resident and medical marijuana patient Cody Roberts, 25, also gave testimony opposing the measure. Roberts suffers from nerve damage, PTSD, and anxiety -- and said he spends more than $900 a week on medical marijuana products.
Roberts said that in nearby states, where cultivation rights are allowed, he can get the same quality and quantity, or better, for hundreds of dollars less. He proposed another idea.
"I beg you to please oppose bill HB 6551," Roberts said. "Instead, let’s allow recreational use and cultivation rights for people of the age of 21 years or older."
Schultz said a typical patient purchases about 2.5 ounces of product a month at a cost of $200 to $400.
The proposed tax would provide funding for drug abuse treatment programs.
