Last week, a senator in Florida introduced a measure that would allow licensed medical-cannabis businesses to claim tax deductions. At the moment, legal marijuana businesses in the country aren’t allowed to claim deductions because of section 280E of the IRS code, which bars deductions from being claimed for illicit substances.
Section 280E prohibits businesses from deducting business expenses from gross income linked to the trafficking of Schedule I or II drugs. Currently, marijuana is still classified under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. The measure, filed by GOP senator Ana Maria Rodriguez, would add Florida to a growing list of other states that have established tax parity for the marijuana industry.
The bill would amend the state’s tax code by permitting medical-marijuana operators to claim deductions in amounts equal to expenditure eligible to be claimed as federal income tax deductions. It should be noted that this measure would only extend relief to state medical-marijuana businesses.
Other states that have taken similar steps include Pennsylvania, whose House passed a sweeping tax reform measure in October containing language offering state relief to medical-cannabis businesses. The proposal hasn’t been fully accepted by GOP members, who see it as a giveaway by Democrats to the marijuana industry.
In November, New York’s governor signed a measure offering tax relief to cannabis businesses in the state. This comes after a budget measure enacted in 2022 included provisions to broadly permit state-level marijuana business tax deductions. Maine’s governor had, in August, signed a resolution decoupling state tax from the federal policy for marijuana businesses.
Earlier in June, Connecticut’s governor signed a budget measure that included provisions offering state-level tax relief to licensed cannabis businesses as a workaround for the industry. That same month, the governor of Illinois signed a budget measure that included provisions permitting licensed cannabis businesses to claim tax deductions that they’re currently barred from utilizing under Section 280E. In May, the governor of New Jersey also signed a bill that would permit licensed cannabis businesses to deduct some expenses on their tax returns as a partial fix.
At the congressional level, Representative Earl Blumenauer reintroduced a measure that would amend the code to permit state-legal cannabis businesses to claim tax deductions that are available to businesses operating in other industries. In an interview, Blumenauer explained that allowing state-legal businesses to fully deduct their business expenses would result in additional revenue collection because individuals would comply with the law.
This growing wave of states seeking ways to give the cannabis industry tax relief at the state level could afford enterprises such as TerrAscend Corp. (TSX: TSND) (OTCQX: TSNDF) a breather that allows them to bring more innovative products to the market.
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