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Washington became one of the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational use in 2012. But there are a lot of challenges ahead: the state must set up a licensing system for marijuana growers and sellers, the federal government may mount a challenge, the need to set a new limit on amount of marijuana in the bloodstream for safe driving. And medical marijuana is still in the picture.Over the next several months we will be exploring the issue and tracking the impact of I-502.

Taxing Marijuana In Colorado: A Possible Model For Washington?

Flickr Photo/prensa4 (CC-BY-NC-ND)

Ross Reynolds interviews reporter Ben Markus of Colorado Public Radio about Colorado proposition that would help answer a question that both Colorado and Washington state have been struggling with: How do you tax and regulate recreational marijuana?

Lawmakers and citizens in Washington state and Colorado have been pondering that since recreational marijuana was legalized in both states. Tomorrow voters in Colorado will have a chance to decide how they want recreational marijuana taxed.

Proposition AA would impose two different types of taxes on recreational marijuana. First, an additional 10 percent sales tax would be added on top of the 2.9 percent sales tax that is standard in Colorado. Then there will also be a 15 percent excise tax to provide revenue to fund school construction.

Markus explains what advocates and opponents of Proposition AA are saying ahead of the vote.

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