Marijuana-sales-denver

In this Dec. 27, 2013 file photo, marijuana and cannabis-infused products are displayed for sale at a marijuana dispensary in Denver. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, file)

(AP File Photo | Brennan Linsley)

Rep. Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids

Democratic state Rep. Brandon Dillon represents the 75th House District, which includes part of the city of Grand Rapids.

By State Rep. Brandon Dillon

It's no secret that Michigan has a problem finding enough money to invest in critical priorities like roads, education and public safety. The costs of providing a good education to our kids, fixing our roads and providing even basic services to residents continue to climb.

Taxpayers have made it clear in the voting booth that they are skeptical about forking over more of their hard-earned money until they know the Legislature has asked corporations to pay their fair share and looked to alternative options to generate significant revenue. What we need are consistent, permanent revenue solutions that don't simply raise taxes on middle-class, working families.

That's why I cosponsored and attended a recent discussion at the Grand Rapids Community Media Center's Peter Wege Auditorium, featuring Ethan Nadelmann and Maj. Neill Franklin. Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, is a leading proponent of drug policy reform, while Maj. Franklin, the executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and a 23-year veteran of the Maryland State Police, wants to see ineffective and dangerous drug policy reconsidered.

We know that attitudes toward marijuana are quickly changing. East Lansing recently became the latest city in Michigan to decriminalize marijuana, following other cities such as Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale and Mount Pleasant. When decriminalization was put before Grand Rapids voters in 2012, 60 percent said yes. Recent surveys show that more than half of Michigan residents are in favor of legalizing, regulating and taxing the adult use of marijuana.

While some are concerned that these reforms would open up our state to an increase in crime, that hasn't been the case in Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, where marijuana is already legal and regulated. In fact, the year after regulated marijuana was approved in Colorado, violent and property crimes fell 6.9 percent. Similarly, in states that have approved the medical use of marijuana, alcohol-related fatalities have fallen by 12 percent. Clearly, regulating marijuana hasn't created a public safety crisis. Moreover, taking marijuana off street corners and tightly regulating its production and sale will make it less available to minors.

On the other hand, evidence suggests these changes have brought positive effects to states that not only regulate, but tax marijuana. Colorado imposes a 15 percent wholesale excise tax and 10 percent sales tax on marijuana. Along with other various license fees, medical and recreational marijuana receipts have added $76 million to state coffers last year. Other states are experimenting with different tax structures, but all anticipate higher state revenues that can be spent on schools, roads, police and other priorities.

Regulation could also reduce the cost of running our corrections system. In Michigan, which spends a bigger share of its general fund on prisons than any other Great Lakes state, we dedicate more money to corrections than higher education. Nationwide, about 1 in 8 people are incarcerated on offenses related to marijuana. Stopping the prosecution of these possession cases would mean fewer people behind bars and fewer taxpayer dollars spent to keep them there.

Regulating and taxing marijuana will never be a panacea for all the challenges our state faces. Taxes raised from regulating marijuana won't be enough to pay for all of our priorities. However, taking marijuana off the black market will generate much needed revenue, allow us to redeploy law enforcement resources to focus on violent and property crime, and ease the tax burden on the middle class.

Mr. Nadelmann and Maj. Franklin are right. Our current marijuana laws are broken. It is time to fix them.

If you would like to submit a guest column to The Grand Rapids Press, email Zane McMillin at zmcmilli@mlive.com.