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Already home to some of the most expensive, heavily-taxed legal cannabis in the United States, California announced Thursday it would jack up taxes on commercial weed. The move quickly triggered disgust, outrage, and a grim spin on the libertarian koan "taxation is theft."

For a legal market struggling to attract customers, the tax increase is a "brand new extinction event" that "will ultimately lead to retailers not being able to pay vendors or employees," according to Jacqueline McGowan, a cannabis-industry lobbyist with Sacramento-based firm K Street Consulting. We're already seeing that happen" in some California cities and counties with extra taxes piled on top of state tax rates, she said.

Along with potentially strangling the legal market in its crib, excess weed taxes could also have serious unintended consequences for consumers who turn to unregulated and untested illicit-market productsincluding the tainted cartridges believed to have killed at least some of the 47 people lost to vape-related lung illnesses, four Californians among them.

Prop. 64, California's legalization law approved by 57 percent of voters in November 2016, imposed an excise tax and cultivation taxes on weed. (Cannabis sales are also subject to state sales tax; some cities and counties further impose a local tax on weed sales.)

The excise tax amounts to 15 percent of the retail price paid by consumers. Prop. 64 also set taxes at $9.25 per ounce for cannabis flower, and $2.75 per ounce for cannabis "leaves," or trimmost often used as source product for distillates and edibles. The ballot measure gave the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration the authority to tweak taxes to adjust for inflation beginning Jan. 1, 2020. This tax hike represents the first bite at that apple.

For consumers, these forthcoming hikes amount to a "net increase of 12.5 percent" in the excise tax, according to Dale Gieringer, director of the California chapter of NORML, a weed-reform advocacy group.

"Given the epidemic of vaping disease caused by unregulated black market products, this is hardly the time to make legal products more expensive," Gieringer said. "California already has the most expensive legal market in the country. Legal cannabis needs to be made more affordable in order to compete more effectively with the unregulated black market."

The optics of a cash-hungry government squeezing an already strapped industry are bad, but the timingresponding to cries for relief with more taxes amid a vape scareis worse, critics said. It's a "punch in the gut" to the industry that has since the beginning said high taxes would help ensure legalization's failure, according to Josh Drayton, spokesman for the California Cannabis Industry Association. And, unless this increase is reversed and other taxes are lowered, "There won't be an industry to tax in 2021," warned Mikey Steinmetz, CEO and cofounder of cannabis distributor Flow Kana.

The tax increase will also mean higher prices at dispensaries, as players along the supply chain pass on the costs to the public. "This is a consumer-facing tax," Drayton said.

Whatever happens nextbusinesses shedding jobs or closing, investment drying upis also "being watched by other states," he added. The success or failure of California's market will have an impact on how they choose to legalize cannabis, he saidincluding whether they decide to legalize at all, or dismiss the whole thing as a failed experiment.

In a statement, Nicole Elliott, Gov. Gavin Newsom's senior advisor on cannabis, told VICE that Newsom was "interested in partnering" with the Legislature to address taxes as well as other woes squeezing the legal market. What those "cannabis tax solutions" might look like, however, and whether they would include reversing the CDTFA move, remain to be seen.

In a statement, a CDTFA spokesperson said the agency was bound by law to raise taxes in tandem with inflation, adding, "We certainly understand industrys concerns. However, CDTFA does not have the discretion to utilize other factors in adjusting the cultivation tax rates."

But CDTFA appears to have defied lawmakers as well as weed sellers and consumers.

Rob Bonta, who represents Oakland in the state Assembly, authored a tax relief bill this spring that would have reduced the state excise tax from 15 percent to 11 percent. That bill was held in committee in May but could be revivedwith fresh supportwhen the Legislature convenes next year.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Bonta blasted the latest move as "short-sighted," adding that it "ignores the realities that licensed businesses are at the breaking point, with many struggling to survive." Just about every business in America whines about taxes, but in the cannabis industry's case, there is widespread belief that tax bills are too high and legitimately imperil legalization.

"If you punish the cannabis industry with higher and higher taxes when it is trying to live within the law, you invite the persistence and expansion of a cannabis industry that is happy to live outside the law," said Craig Reinarman, a drug policy expert and professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "The risk in seeing cannabis taxes as a cash cow for strapped governments is that if you increase them enough, you re-create the conditions for the black market that legalization hoped to kill."

If the tax hike left some people scratching their heads, other critics said it shouldn't have come as a surprise.

"I'll just keep growing my own and watch from the sidelines," said Brent Saupe, a Berkeley resident, former Marine, and longtime grower who briefly worked in the legal market as a cultivator, "while shaking my head, trying hard not to say, 'I told you so.'"

Correction 11/26/2019: A previous version of this story misstated the point at which excise taxes have been imposed. We regret the error.

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California Just Jacked Up Weed Taxes. The Black Market Could Cash In - Free

While soak-the-rich progressives lead the Democratic presidential field, a new poll released Tuesday shows voters remain skeptical of their socialist policies.

Just 12 percent of likely voters reported preferring a socialist economic system, according to a new Heartland Institute/Rasmussen poll. Sixty-nine percent said they preferred a free-market economic system.

When it came to the 2020 contenders, only 26 percent of likely voters said they would vote for a presidential candidate that identified as a socialist. Fifty-percent said they would not. Its no surprise then that Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who have both openly embraced socialism, scored high unfavorable ratings among respondents with 49 percent and 48 percent respectively.

The poll interviewed 1,000 likely voters of a relatively even partisan distribution by telephone between Nov. 13-14 with a +/-3 percent margin of error.

The Heartland Institute/Rasmussen surveys results corroborate the findings of a wide-ranging survey published by the libertarian Cato Institute in September.

Cato found that 75 percent of Americans rejected the idea that it is immoral for society to allow people to become billionaires, in direct contradiction to Sanders who argues that billionaires have no place in society.

I dont think that billionaires should exist, Sanders said in an interview with the New York Times on the same day of the studys release. I hope the day comes when they dont.

Sanders and Warren have both campaigned as the Democratic primarys most left-wing candidates, each running on a platform to implement a wealth tax and single-payer health care in competition to be the progressive standard-bearer in a crowded field of candidates each pushing the party further left.

While the races frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden has attempted to carve out a moderate lane, Biden would be considered the most radical liberal in any other primary prior to the 2020 election cycle for his stances on health care and climate change, illustrating just how far left the party has swung.

The polls however, show that voters arent quite yet buying the socialist fantasyland that Democrats are selling for free on the campaign trail.

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Poll Shows Voters Aren't Buying The Progressive Pitch For Socialism - The Federalist

Jeanne Dietschs Nov. 12 letter against people with libertarian views (Bad actors are why Im not libertarian) has me befuddled.

If I understand her position, being a libertarian means supporting slavery. She further goes on to state that without government, slavery would exist in the United States today. What the ...? Really?

State Sen. Dietsch confuses libertarians with the Democrats. Democratic Party founder Thomas Jefferson loved slaves as both a prolific owner and an early #MeToo participant.

She either has no knowledge of history or intentionally ignores it; the Democratic Southern states held on to slavery until 1865. The New England states and New Jersey were done with the practice by 1804 without big government intervention. After the Civil War, the Democrats continued another century of suppression through the creation of the Ku Klux Klan, enactment of Jim Crow laws, high bars, like literacy tests, to vote and segregation.

Today, the Democratic Party promotes inefficient big brother policies and programs that take away freedom, discourage self-sufficiency and make people reliant on the government for basic needs. Some have stated that such dependency is a modern, benevolent slavery.

In contrast, libertarians promote freedom, individualism, voluntary association, personal responsibility and autonomy. While libertarians have an understandable skepticism of authority and state power, most recognize that a limited government is necessary for things like roads, police and fire.

Recently, the local Democratic party had to change the name of its annual dinner several times to find party leaders who did not kill the natives or use their position to molest and harm women.

So, Ms. Dietsch, with all these bad actors why are you a Democrat?

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Bad actors? You have your parties confused, by Cole Mills - The Keene Sentinel

A one-time candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania is charged with perjury and other offenses in connection to a grand jury investigation over allegedly forged signatures on candidate petitions in 2018's midterm elections.

Jake Towne, 40, of Easton was charged in district court Thursday with false signatures and statements in nomination petitions; perjury; tampering with records or identification; unsworn falsification to authorities; and tampering with public records or information, according to the Morning Call.

Towne was released on unsecured bail, according to the Morning Call.

Towne ran for U.S. Congress in Pennsylvania's then-15th District in 2010 as an Independent candidate and lost, garnering 7.5% of the district's 204,000 votes. More recently, he was elected auditor of Lower Nazareth Township in 2017, then resigned when he moved to Easton. In 2018, Towne ran for state representative in the 138th District as a Libertarian and lost.

The charges filed in court this week relate to petitions to add Libertarian candidates to the U.S. Congress race ballot in Pennsylvania's 7th District. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro's Office alleged this week that Towne signed petitions claiming to be the circulator, despite paying another person to gather the signatures.

Because of noticeable similarities in handwriting, agents from Shapiro's office interviewed people whose names and signatures appeared on the petition, and found 23 people who stated they hadn't signed the document, according to the Morning Call.

Amber Correll, 39, of Nazareth, the woman who Towne paid to circulate the petitions, is charged with 25 counts each of forgery, identity theft, false statements and tampering with records, along with one count of tampering with public information. Correll was also released on unsecured bail, according to the Morning Call.

Towne's attorney told the Morning Call that Towne was unaware some of the petition's signatures were forged, and did not mean to deceive anyone.

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Former Pennsylvania congressional candidate charged with perjury over forged signatures - PhillyVoice.com

A wise king never seeks out war, but he must always be ready for it. ~ Odin

These words of wisdom from the pages of Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are truer than many choose to believe.

At the time Odin speaks them, Thor (Odins son), is brash and full of himself. Thor is strong, mighty, self-confident and ready to take over his fathers throne so he can force his will upon whomever he wishes.

Many of the people seeking political office these days view our military might the same way Thor saw his fathers. These individuals anticipate ascending to power so they may flex our military might to force our will upon whomever they/we wish.

This way of thinking has been the accepted norm throughout our history but it should not be this way.

In George Washingtons farewell address he wrote: Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all. ~ George Washington

The Libertarian Party Non-Aggression Platform is reflected by both George Washingtons words and the words of Odin.

As a nation, it is imperative that we seek out a harmonious coexistence with all nations in the world.

We tend to prosper whenever there is a mutually pleasant demeanor between countries.

An environment where fair trade and commerce can be made in addition to safe travel.

This is how nations grow in culture, knowledge and ideas.

The internet has made obtaining information from far away quicker and easier, but actually venturing to a location gives a more hands-on and enriching experience that you can not get from reading off a screen.

Even with all the good and reliable information on the web, there is also lots of unreliable misinformation.

Firsthand knowledge is always the best and that is only attainable through peaceful travel.

Unfortunately, we will not always be able to live in peace with all countries in the world.

Not all leaders are capable of being reasoned with.

This is when Odins quote about war comes into play, ...we must always be ready for it.

A strong military is essential for our nations defense, but the key word is defense.

Whenever a leader sends our military abroad without provocation, we are now on the offense instead of defense.

Non-Aggression is what separates the Libertarian Party from the other two major political parties that have controlled our government for the past 100-plus years.

Under their leadership, we have sent troops abroad on offensive maneuvers under every president.

If not directly, we have had a hand in manipulating the outcome of other countries political landscapes through rebellions and insurrections funded and managed by our CIA.

All of these actions the past hundred years have resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of American lives and millions of foreign civilian lives across the globe.

It is time to change. It is time to relearn our history, hearken back to the words of George Washingtons farewell address and observe good faith and justice with all nations while cultivating peace with all.

And, like Odin said, always be prepared for those who do not subscribe to that mentality.

It was a joy that we celebrated Veterans Day this month.

Now, lets make it a point to diminish our need to celebrate Memorial Day in May. God Bless and cultivate peace and harmony with all.

Anthony was the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Congress in district 15 of Texas.

Continue reading here:
Cristo: The Libertarian Party and its non-aggression policy - Seguin Gazette-Enterprise