Missouri drug dealers could face taxes under Senate bill

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Lawmakers are considering whether to tax Missouri's drug dealers.

Sen. Wayne Wallingford told a Senate panel Thursday that dealers would face an additional charge of tax evasion if they are caught with more than 35 grams of marijuana, a gram of other drugs or a dosage of illegal substances without paying a tax. Dealers would buy stamps from the state to prove they paid the tax.

Wallingford said he intends for the bill to raise money for law enforcement, not permit drug use. He said this would provide another way to prosecute drug dealers.

Sarah Rossi of the American Civil Liberties Union opposed the legislation, saying it would penalize someone twice for the same crime.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws says 20 states have stamp laws.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.