POLL: Would you support marijuana businesses in Milton in order to help alleviate the town’s tax burden?

This past April, a Milton resident was arrested for running a multimillion-dollar black market marijuana enterprise on Canton Avenue.

According to the charges, Deana Martin owned and managed Northern Herb, which operated a website offering marijuana (including raw marijuana, pre-rolled cigarettes, and marijuana edibles) for sale. From May 2016 through July 2018, Northern Herb allegedly had total revenue exceeding $14 million, and Martin earned an income of $80,000 per month. It is further alleged that Northern Herb did not withhold or pay taxes on its millions of dollars in marijuana sales. (Source: www.justice.gov).

If Deana had paid taxes to the Town of Milton during this time period, the town would have received $420,000 over about 22 months.

This would work out to about $229,000 per year in taxes to Milton, for one person’s marijuana enterprise. 

An open business with normal hours might expect to make 2-3 times that revenue, easily. While it’s not a panacea for what seems to be ongoing budget issues, it certainly could make a dent in a budget shortfall.

At the October 2017 Special Town Meeting, TMMs voted to ban recreational marijuana retailers and production facilities.

Would you support reversing this ban, in order to help alleviate the town’s tax burden?

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