What is Massachusetts planning to do with all that marijuana tax revenue?

In a recent interview, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said he hoped the the tax revenue from marijuana in Massachusetts would be worth the “human toll.”

Walsh, who opposed the 2016 state ballot measure to legalize the drug for recreational use, later explained that he hoped the money would be devoted toward initiatives that promote public health and safe consumption, similar to how a slice of the state’s casino tax revenue was set aside to address the harms associated with gambling.

But the mayor admitted he wasn’t certain what Massachusetts is planning to do with all the revenue it will rake in from legal weed. He likely isn’t the only one.

How does Massachusetts tax marijuana?

Massachusetts taxes marijuana sales at a combined 17 percent rate, and cities and towns can command a local sales tax of up to 3 percent (though some municipalities, perhaps extralegally, have been seeking additional “donations” from prospective shops within their borders). That means that, in total, for every five dollars that recreational marijuana customers pay to dispensaries, they send an additional buck to state and local governments. [Read more at Boston.com]