Whitmer Wants Michiganders To Smoke Their Way To Better Roads

Stoners, I have some bad news for you. Since recreational marijuana was legalized in Michigan at the end of 2018, Michigan has quickly made a name for itself as the Weed Capital of the US, surpassing California in 2023 after MI reported $3 billion in cannabis sales. That's a hefty amount of money from one product.

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Since Governor Gretchen Whitmer took office in 2018, she has promised to "fix the damn roads". Now she wants to use pot to fill the potholes.

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Whitmer's $3 Billion Plan

Governor Whitmer announced her latest plan to fix the roads around Michigan on Monday and it was a bold move that will require support from both sides of the aisle. The spark notes of the plan boil down to:

• Increase excise tax on recreational marijuana from 10% to 32%, a 22% increase. This will bring the tax even to cigarettes and the second highest rate in the country.
• All money earned from the gas pumps goes toward fixing the roads. The idea is that the cars will go towards fixing the roads they drive on.
• Increasing the income tax on corporations.

The governor's office estimates this will equate to $3.77 billion in revenue.

Why Weed?

As mentioned earlier, cannabis is one of the largest money makers for the State of Michigan. While plenty of Michiganders openly participate in recreational marijuana consumption, a large majority of Michigan's cannabis sales come from people out-of-state through neighboring states where marijuana isn't legal, crossing over for Michigan's weed.

READ MORE: One Michigan City Smokes More Weed Than All the Others |

This allows Michigan to benefit more from "out-of-state consumers", capitalizing on increased sales without punishing the buyers. Michigan had massive profits in recent years despite having a relatively low tax rate. If the state can match or come close to the sales from 2023 with a higher tax rate, it could be a potential gold mine for the state.

Whitmer has clarified that the tax would be targeted at businesses, but with all things, the businesses would most likely have to raise prices to offset the new tax, impacting consumers.

At the end of the day, if people can enjoy what they smoke while having their money go towards meaningful change, I don't think anyone will mind.