Puerto Rico could lose approximately $53 million in annual revenue under legislation restricting medical marijuana eligibility to terminal illness, according to an October analysis by the territory’s Legislative Assembly Budget Office.
House Bill 1281 would limit access to patients with certified terminal conditions or debilitating conditions directly associated with a certified terminal illness. It would also eliminate the licensing requirement for physicians to recommend medical marijuana.
The budget office’s estimate represents an upper-bound scenario beginning in fiscal year 2027. Its analysis assumes a 95% reduction in eligible patients and the termination of the program’s economic and tax-generating activity.
The projected losses include $23.8 million annually in sales and use taxes from dispensary purchases, $15.5 million in income taxes and $7.1 million in licensing revenue. Another $6 million would come from sales taxes on spending by program workers, plus $600,000 in inventory taxes.
The analysis also identifies potential reductions in funding for health services supported by marijuana revenue. Annual resources for the Río Piedras Medical Center’s trauma hospital could fall by approximately $2.2 million, while a fund supporting treatment for catastrophic illnesses could lose approximately $3.9 million.
More information on the new analysis can be found by clicking here.
