First, it takes a special kind of stupid to lose money when your only job is to take people’s property without due process of law and sell it: A report released today by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research (TCPR) finds that from January 1-June 21, 2005, Tennessee’s Unauthorized Substances Tax (UST) cost taxpayers nearly […]

Look at me! I’m unconstitutional. Soon to be a collector’s item. Tom Humphrey: Basically, the majority said that illegal drugs are not subject to taxation under the state constitution, which authorizes taxes on “merchants, peddlers and privileges.” The tax is on possession, they reasoned, not sales so the possessors are not merchants or peddlers. And […]

Seems like Bredesen is finally getting it: Gov. Bredesen says it may be time to shut down the state’s tax on illegal drugs because of a recent appeals court opinion the so-called “crack tax” is unconstitutional. It is a stupid law.

I’ve covered the Tennessee tax stamp on illegal drugs for a while. Via the five people who emailed this to me this morning, comes the Tennessean: A Tennessee judge has ruled that a state law requiring drug dealers to pay taxes on their cocaine, marijuana and other illicit drugs is unconstitutional. The ruling by Davidson […]

Bill Hobbs notes that The Tennessean swallowed a press release hook, line and sinker. Bill notes the drug tax is costing more than it’s making (something I’ve already pointed out here many times). However . . . Bill also says: The Tennessean editorialized in favor of the tax on illegal drugs on April 14, 2004, […]

A reader sent me a scan of the Tennessee Department of Revenue Unauthorized Substances Stamp (note: Background on Tennessee’s Illegal Drug Tax can be found here). Here it is: It has a what I assume is a serial number. I also assume that means this is only the 127th one they sold. It costs the […]

Ben Livingston was tracking his efforts to purchase tax stamps on illegal drugs as required by Tennessee law. It starts out with this opening email: I am interested in purchasing the new illegal drug stamps that Tennessee now offers. I called this morning to purchase some of these, but I was told I could not […]

I’ve discussed Tennessee’s asinine illegal drug tax many times before. It’s only use seems to be taking people’s property without due process of law and there are reports that the tax stamps aren’t actually being sold. Tennessee Rep Stacey Campfield alerts us that: Tennessee Center for Policy Research has a new study out today which […]

Bill Hobbs notes that Tennessee will start taxing illegal drugs next year (I’ve mentioned this before). Says Bill: This actually works – and is a pretty good idea, though it sounds a bit odd at first. The law will require sellers of illegal drugs to pay excise taxes, just legal businesses. Most drug-pushers won’t comply, […]

Reader Drake emails this article: The Legislature is considering new taxes and some fee increases, but it’s unlikely most people would pay them. One new tax would apply to drug dealers. Sen. Randy McNally, a Republican from Oak Ridge, proposes to tax marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and other illegal drugs. Those who step forward to pay […]

WATE reports that Lawyers say Tennessee’s illegal tax law is ripe for abuse: Defense lawyers say a new law allowing authorities to tax illegal drugs allows officials to bully people not convicted of crimes into paying thousands of dollars. Tennessee’s Department of Revenue has collected nearly $400,000 in taxes. Another $$11 million in taxes have […]

A list. No mention of TN’s tax on illegal drugs that you cannot pay. Or the stupid “send a drug addict to jail because she got knocked up” law.

Drug checkpoints in Michigan: Motorists driving on expressways around Flint are getting surprised by a stunning tactic that the Genesee County sheriff has been using to fight the flow of illegal drugs — one that legal experts said will not withstand a court challenge. Emphasis mine. Despite its illegality, they do it because there is […]

Sometimes when someone tries to do something good they get confused and screw up something else. This is often referred to as the law of unintended consequences. Case in point would be Senator John McCain’s new bill to crack down on child pornography on the Internet. No one wants child pornography on the Internet but […]

Bill, on the overturning of Tennessee’s illegal drug tax, notes: Although a judge has ruled that the Tennessee law requiring drug dealers to pay state taxes on their cocaine, marijuana and other illicit drugs is unconstitutional, the state says it will continue to collect the tax because the ruling applies only to one individual alleged […]

Michael Silence notes: Tennessee’s tax on unauthorized substances such as cocaine and marijuana and some alcoholic beverages brought in more than $1.7 million in its first year, according to revenue officials. The tax, which is modeled after a 13-year-old North Carolina tax aimed at fighting illegal drugs, has resulted in $1,714,565 in collections and nearly […]

It’s also lucrative for the state. The Tennessean reports: Tennessee modeled its program to collect taxes on illegal drugs after North Carolina’s, but early returns indicate that the Volunteer State’s 6-month-old effort has been more successful. A report released yesterday showed that Tennessee had collected about six times more taxes on controlled substances as did […]

Reader Tim Sheehy wrote this and I said I’d publish hit so here you go. This 4th of July be sure to: Buckle your seatbelt, Behave for the traffic cameras, Patiently wait at the sobriety checkpoints and hold your tongue if you feel the police officer at that checkpoint is too inquisitive, Don’t light up […]

In Tennessee, a 60 year-old man recovering from cancer smoked marijuana to alleviate the pain and depression. He has since been arrested and had his money and cars seized and a lien placed on his house. All this without due process of law, which is blatantly unconstitutional. The fifth amendment states that no person shall […]

Here I’ve been trying to step up the blog output, and I’ve already hit the wall. Things are crazy at work today, so I don’t know how much I’ll get to post today. In the meantime, here’s an interesting tidbit. SayUncle has blogged a couple of times about Tennessee’s tax stamps for illegal drugs. Well, […]

In an update to Tennessee’s tax on illegal drugs scoring its first booty, I have additional correspondence from someone alleging to be Jerry [redacted]. He tells me that the police first entered the home looking for a runaway girl. They then entered the home the following day by kicking the door down. They had no […]

I blogged here about Tennessee’s tax on illegal drugs claiming its first booty. A man claiming to be Jerry [redacted](the person whose house was seized for non-payment of the tax that they won’t even let you pay) left some comments there: The house is worth about $90,000 and I owe $71,000 on it. They taxed […]

Mark reports that Tennessee’s taxes on illegal drugs are working as expected: A Bloomington Springs house and the land it sits on yesterday became the first real estate in Tennessee to be seized for unpaid tax on illegal drugs. The property belongs to Jerry [redacted], and the tax is for the marijuana crop that law […]

Regarding Tennessee’s tax on illegal drugs, a commenter over at Michael Silence’s blog writes: The Department of Revenue claims that to date nobody has attempted to voluntarily pay this tax. I would like to point out that this is untrue. I attempted to voluntarily pay this tax on January 6, but all of my attempts […]

Any of my Tennessee readers know the street value of 42.5 grams of marijuana in Knoxville? Actually, can someone translate that into some useful measure for me too (such as joints)? I’m not up on drug values since I don’t do drugs but I am thinking of heading down to the local Tennessee Department of […]

I’ve yammered about Tennessee’s stupid new law requiring those that deal in illegal drugs to buy a tax stamp before. It serves only as a tax on stupid people or as another crime to charge someone with in the ever expanding war on drugs. Surprising to no one, is the fact that drug dealers aren’t […]

First up, the new seat belt law would allow police to pull you over if they see that you’re not buckled up. Under the old law, they’d ticket you for it only if they pulled you over for something else. Gov. Bredesen, who says he’ll sign the bill, said: ”I understand the issue of personal […]