Medical marijuana could help pay Santa Cruz's bills.
A tax of up to 10 percent on medical marijuana could be approved by voters in the beach county -- but not the town -- in November, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
The tax could be as low as 7 percent, but at any level, taking a cut of pot stores' gross earnings would cost someone, marijuana users told the newspaper.
There are a "dozen" dispensaries in unincorporated Santa Cruz County, the newspaper reported. Such a tax could raise as much as $900,000 -- but the tax would not be in effect in the city of Santa Cruz or other places that are incorporated townships or cities.
Voters would approve the tax range first and then county officials would decide the actual tax number. Pot store operators are aiming for a 3 percent tax, saying that anything more would make it difficult for sick people to buy cannabis.
