Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday signed into law a new 24% tax on marijuana sales between producers and dispensaries, creating revenue to partially fund her long-promised effort to improve the state's roads. Whitmer made road repairs her priority this year. The Legislature's fiscal agencies estimate the wholesale tax will generate $420 million in new revenue to go towards the annual $1.8 billion road funding plan. But analysts predict the additional tax will inevitably lead to a drop in sales, the AP reports.
- "When I took office, I made a promise to fix the damn roads so Michiganders could get where they're going faster and safer," she said. Whitmer—long considered a potential Democratic presidential candidate, although she recently hinted she may not be interested in the job—signed the budget in a closed-door meeting.