OLYMPIA, Wash. (Metro) -- The Washington State Office of Financial Management issues a report saying legalization of marijuana could bring many millions of dollars to the Evergreen State each year.
Officials say if Initiative 502 is approved by voters this fall, state coffers could see an annual infusion of a half-billion dollars in tax revenue generated by marijuana sales.
But the department also says if federal authorities enforce federal criminal laws relative to marijuana, the projected economic boon to Washington would not exist.
If approved, Initiative 502 will make Washington the first state to make recreational use of marijuana legal among adults 21 and older.