Juneau marijuana board holds off on tax recommendation

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The City and Borough of Juneau Marijuana Committee is holding off on a decision to recommend an 8 percent tax on marijuana sales for Assembly consideration.

Committee members tabled the matter at a Thursday meeting after nearly recommending that the proposal move forward, The Juneau Empire reported.

Most of the committee members, including Debbie White, shared similar fears that taxing marijuana sales too high would increase prices and move people to the black market.

“I would really caution us against getting greedy on the taxes,’’ White said. “The people who voted for this said treat marijuana like alcohol. We have an 8 percent tax on alcohol, and I’m comfortable with that.’’

Committee members were mostly in agreeance on the 8 percent sales tax, but were unsure how the city should levy the tax. They asked City Attorney Amy Mead to look into possible options and report back to the committee at its next meeting in November.

Another matter tabled at Thursday’s meeting was the issue of whether the city should require licenses specifically for marijuana businesses. The committee was split on the matter.

Some members were in favor of the idea, citing that requiring city licenses specific to businesses would increase the city’s ability to regulate the industry.

“It seems to me that it would be easier if you have a license to pull than to take them to court,’’ committee member Mary Becker said.

But other members argued that requiring businesses to obtain a state license to operate as well as a city license was an unnecessary measure.

“These are business people; they’re not criminals, and I think we need to treat them like any other business in Juneau,’’ said committee member Dennis Watson.