GOP State Senate completes betrayal on the pot scam initiative.

The people of Washington got roped into voting for the Recreational Pot Scam, aka, I-502, in part because of garbage like this:

The Columbian endorses Initiative 502 for many reasons, not the least of which is financial. I-502 offers Washingtonians the chance to radically change how we react to marijuana, from wasting $211 million over the past decade enforcing marijuana laws, to creating a revenue stream of more than $500 million annually via a 25 percent excise tax (plus other taxes) on legal marijuana sales.

Now, the morons at the Lazy C are ignorant to a fault: a blind mouse could see in a minute that the figure the pro-pot initiative was using... specifically, $582 million annually, was an outright and complete lie.

In order to meet that goal, the population of Washington state, every man, woman and child including infants, would have had to buy enough pot to provide roughly $75 each... per year... to hit that number.

Not only was that NEVER going to happen, the legislature has not come along behind them to clean up there mess, even thought they haven't yet hit 10% of that number since the initiative passed.

The democratian, who wrote the garbage quoted above,  has never acknowledged their mistake.  Nor have they acknowledged that they... and those stupid enough to vote for this con job, got hosed.

Here's what I-502 promised and what we, The People, voted for:

Background: Initiative Measure 502 (I-502) was a ballot measure that legalized the production, processing, retail sale, possession, and personal use of marijuana. 

Under I-502 an excise tax of 25 percent of the sale price is paid by each of the three licensees at each step of the production, processing, and retail sale.

The pro-pot campaign lied their collective asses off by promising $582 million in annual revenue.

Here's what the Senate has done to us and how they let the lying scum behind I-502 off the hook:

Summary of Bill (Recommended Substitute): The marijuana excise tax that applies to producers and processors is eliminated. The marijuana excise tax is only imposed on sales at retail at the rate of 37 percent. The tax is due on the buyer, to be collected by the seller. 

Provisions are added that parallel the same provisions for the retail sales tax regarding establishing corporate officer liability for unpaid collected taxes and establishing that the tax is collected is held trust for the state.  

Not mentioned:

"The Senate, by taking this action of slashing the taxes promised by I-502 are letting the liars and manipulators behind this killer off the hook and reinforcing that in THIS state, lying is the way to get bills, initiatives and referendum passed... or to get elected... because, well, hell: no one responsible is EVER going to be held accountable."

And oh, by the way...

That $582 million in yearly revenue these scum promised to get this passed and to get the democratian endorsement?

Forget it.  It will never hit 25% of that figure now.

ESSB 6062

Marijuana regulations

Senate vote on 3rd Reading & Final Passage

4/2/2015

Yeas: 26 Nays: 22 Absent: 0 Excused: 1 

Voting Yea: Senator Angel, Bailey, Baumgartner, Becker, Benton, Braun, Brown, Dammeier, Dansel, Ericksen, Fain, Hewitt, Hill, Honeyford, King, Litzow, Miloscia, O'Ban, Padden, Parlette, Pearson, Rivers, Roach, Schoesler, Sheldon, Warnick 

Voting Nay: Senator Billig, Cleveland, Conway, Darneille, Fraser, Frockt, Habib, Hargrove, Hasegawa, Hatfield, Hobbs, Jayapal, Keiser, Kohl-Welles, Liias, McAuliffe, McCoy, Mullet, Nelson, Pedersen, Ranker, Rolfes 

Absent:

Excused: Senator Chase

Local senators boldfaced.

This is by the GOP Senate... who only gives a damn about the vote of the people when it suits them.