Marijuana legalization is kind of a unique opportunity. It's already an industry. We get to tax it from scratch.
From the Denver Post:
The [Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force] recommended that Colorado lawmakers refer to voters two ballot measures on marijuana taxes. One would impose a 15 percent excise tax on recreational marijuana — a rate that could increase over time — that stores would have to pay at the wholesale level. The other would create a special marijuana sales tax that customers would pay. Though the task force did not endorse a specific amount for the sales tax, it gave a 25 percent rate as an example.
What would an ideal tax look like?