Voters approve sales taxes for Recreational Marijuana
Voters in Joplin and several other area cities, as well as Jasper and Newton counties, approved a 3-cent tax on adult recreational marijuana by wide margins in Tuesday’s election, according to complete but unofficial returns.
Joplin voters favored the tax by a vote of 2,221 “yes” to 648 “no.”
The city of Joplin could realize an estimated $300,000 to $500,000 more a year in sales tax revenue as the result of the vote.
The Jasper County portion of Joplin voters were 1,733 in favor of the increase and 529 against the city question. The Newton County vote in Joplin was 488-119.
Jasper County voters also authorized a county tax with 6,082 votes in favor and 2,119 against the question.
In Newton County, there was approval with 3,418 voting “yes” and 1,528 voting “no” for a county tax.
Carthage municipal voters also authorized the sales tax by a margin of 534 to 105. There is one dispensary there.
Those who live in Neosho approved city taxation with 825 in favor of it and 301 against it. There has been one license issued by the state for a dispensary in Neosho.
In Carl Junction, adult marijuana taxation was approved 534 to 105. Webb City voters approved it by a margin of 370-82. There are no dispensaries in Carl Junction or Webb City.
A city or county with one dispensary could bring in $100,000 to $150,000 a year, according to a sales estimate made by the Missouri Municipal League, a statewide organization of city governments.
The Missouri Department of Revenue notified local governments in February that cities and counties were not to overlap their sales taxes. Both Jasper and Newton counties put their questions on the ballot specifying that. There are no dispensaries yet in unincorporated areas of either county.
The 3-cent city or county tax would be imposed in addition to a 6-cent state sales tax, which would bring the total to 9 cents for each dollar spent on recreational marijuana.
The tax would not apply to medical marijuana, which requires a prescription. A 4-cent sales tax that goes to the state is applied to medical marijuana purchases, but there are no city or county taxes allowed under that law on the sales of that marijuana.
The sales tax question required only a simple majority of voters to pass.
