Public Media from Michigan State University

Pot For Potholes? GOP State Lawmaker Wants Legal Marijuana To Pay For Roads

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So far, Michigan lawmakers have been unable to agree on a way to boost funding for roads.

But as Michigan Public Radio’s Jake Neher tells us, there’s a new idea in Lansing to legalize and tax marijuana to raise the money.

Supporters call the plan “pot for potholes.” They point to the state of Colorado, which expects to raise tens-of-millions of dollars annually after legalizing marijuana last year.

Republican state Representative Mike Callton says a number of his G-O-P colleagues are already interested in the idea.

“I’ve heard some of the most conservative people say let’s legalize marijuana and tax the heck out of it,” he says.

Callton admits it probably won’t be enough to address the entire problem of Michigan’s crumbling infrastructure. Governor Snyder says lawmakers need to boost funding by more than a billion dollars a year to

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Jake Neher is a reporter for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He covers the State Legislature and other political events in Lansing.