The proposed 10-cent a gallon beer tax hike in New Hampshire has gotten down right contentious. It’s also gotten weird. Smuttynose owner Peter Egelston called it a “chicken shit” way to raise taxes. Rep. Charles “Chuck” Weed (D-Keene) says it’s all about alcohol treatment programs. Gov. Maggie Hassan promised to veto any plan to increase beer taxes. Last Friday, the Portsmouth Herald ran an editorial called “Beer Tax Bad for Business.” And yesterday, Scott Metzger from the Monitor ran his editorial “My Turn: Beer tax increase might be just what we need.”
Chuck Weed would rather have marijuana in the great state of New Hampshire.
Folks are all over the board on this one, but one fact remains the same — the tax is only on beer. It leaves out all the liquor and wine being sold at state-run stores. Maybe Rep. Chuck Weed would leave beer alone in favor of legalizing and taxing marijuana? Apparently, Rep. Weed was a proponent of such a proposal in the past.
Let’s take the time machine back to 2007, and you’ll find a nice article (awesomely entitled “Let the Stonings Begin!”) from the Portsmouth Herald on House Bill 92 — an act decriminalizing marijuana — and (ahem) Weed is a co-sponsor. According to the article by Lily Robertson: “Having read HB 92 as introduced, not only does it remove the misdemeanor charges, it allows one to carry an unspecified amount, grow fields of it, sell it and not get lumped in with organized crime.”
Read House Bill 92 right here for yourself.
Visit Weed’s webpage and you’ll find his stance on the subject matter:
Should NH decriminalize small amounts of marijuana for adults? Should NH legalize medicinal marijuana?
Weed: Yes, decriminalize marijuana
Weed: Yes, legalize medicinal marijuana
