Unless you are an MMJ patient or caregiver, you have to pay a tax when purchasing cannabis, and cannabis products, in Oregon. One of the selling points of establishing regulated cannabis programs is the tax revenue, and in Oregon the state collects a tax of 17% on a purchase, and cities and counties with dispensaries may collect up to 3%, for a total of 20%, meaning that $100 bag of cannabis truly costs $120.
In a state without a sales tax on goods and services, it's an adjustment to pay a tax. But as cannabis tax revenue has grown, the manner in which it's distributed has been substantially modified, making the taxes more palatable to some cannabis consumers.
But even at 20%, Oregon has one of the lower cannabis tax rates (Washington's is the highest at 37%), but there are efforts underway to substantially increase them.
Senate Bill 1506 would let cities increase their tax from 3% to 10%, meaning a total tax of 27%. But supporters say that Measure 110, while doing a great job funding the much-needed Drug Treatment and Recovery Services Fund, resulted in a $50 million hit to cities and counties, a reduction of over 70%. The tax increase would help fill that void, made more painful from economic losses related to the pandemic.
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