"We will not prosecute you if you give us a cut."
The potential here for officially-sanctioned bribery of public officials by drugdealers is enormous.
This could be one of the dumbest laws I've heard of in a while.
Agreed. I would like to see some enterprising reporter or documentarian buy a tax stamp before a hidden camera to see what happens.
When it was passed it was supposed to be based on existing laws in other states; I couln’t name them right now.
Actually, this was the methodology of 18th amendment prohibition. The federal enforcers were “revenooers” who were agents of the Treasury, not specifically law enforcement. This kind of tax on illegal substances is actually rather commonplace, and can be described as a “tax trap”, a way to create a penalty situation where other lawbreaking is hard to prove. Like they got Al Capone.
Illinois has had a marijuana tax on the books for the last 25 years or so. To my knowledge, no one has ever been prosecuted for not affixing one to their weed.
A friend of mine actually bought one. He's a stamp collector.
L