California Assembly Moves To Tax Marijuana Growers

SACRAMENTO (AP) — California lawmakers are moving to levy taxes on medical marijuana growers after hammering out pot regulations last year.

The Assembly voted 60-12 to pass AB2243 Thursday.

The bill authorizes charges of $9.25 per ounce of marijuana flowers, $2.75 per ounce of pot leaves and $1.25 per ounce of immature pot plants.

Legislative analysts estimate the taxes would raise $77 million annually for local police and environmental cleanup.

Some marijuana activists oppose the taxes as unreasonably high, saying the flower tax alone would be 10 percent of marijuana's value.

Democratic Assemblyman Jim Wood of Healdsburg says his proposal was killed at the last minute during negotiations to regulate marijuana last year.

The Senate approved a 15 percent marijuana sales tax earlier this week. Local governments currently tax pot about 7.5 percent.