According to the Associated Press, several Democratic representatives are planning to introduce a bill before Congress today that would establish a hefty federal pot tax, in addition to legalizing the industrial production of hemp. If passed, it would sufficiently end the 75-year federal prohibition on pot.

While they admit passage has little chance, it would be the first attempt to legalize pot in this country this year.

The bill would give the federal government the power to regulate pot the way it regulates alcohol. Growers would need a permit to grow and distribute, and it would be removed from the enforcement of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Oversight would be given to the renamed “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms.”

The federal government will get a hefty piece of the pie, charging a 50 percent excise tax on the first sale of the product. Excise taxes are currently levied against gasoline, cigarettes and alcohol and even gambling, are built into the price. Especially when pertaining to the latter, they are often called sin taxes.