Chairman of the anti-legal marijuana group Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, Seth Leibsohn, and a former state superintendent, Jaime Molera, aren’t glorifying the possible revenue legalizing weed would bring to Arizona’s education system.
Earlier in the day, the Marijuana Policy Project, which leads one of a handful of initiatives seeking to legalize weed in the state for adults 21 and over, held a press conference in Phoenix, where they discussed that their measure could generate more than $40 million annually to go toward education.
The group’s measure proposes taxing marijuana at 15 percent from licensed retail stores selling to adults 21 and older. A lot of that money will be used for implementation, and enforcement of regulations. All additional tax revenue collected, 40 percent would go to the state’s Department of Education for school construction, maintenance, and operating costs, and another 40 percent to the department’s full-day kindergarten programs.
Leibsohn says there is no tax high enough to offset the dangers of making a “dangerous substance more widely available.”
“It has no place in the conversation on positive education reform,” he says in a statement.
“We know that one in six adolescents who experiment with marijuana will become addicted, that today’s marijuana is far more potent and damaging than the marijuana of the past, and that marijuana use can lead to lower IQs, higher propensities to drop out, impaired cognitive function, negative changes in the brain, and a rise in suspensions and expulsions,” he says. “There’s no tax high enough to offset the risks of making a dangerous substance more widely available in our society, and it has no place in the conversation on positive education reform.”
To what Molera adds: “To regulate marijuana like alcohol, knowing all the damage alcohol causes in our school-aged population, is an education, social, and financial policy disaster. One cannot legalize a dangerous substance for adults and expect it to be kept out of the hands and brains of our youth — that is why far more Arizona students currently use alcohol than marijuana. Legalizing marijuana will mean more students will use a dangerous substance that negatively affects every single outcome that serious education professionals have dedicated their lives to improving.”
MPP has to collect more than 150,000 valid signatures to get on the November 2016 ballot. The campaign has already collected about 60,000 total signatures since May.
This article appears in Aug 13-19, 2015.
“Medical Marijuana” is NOT like the Marijuana used in the 70’s and 80’s. Strains have been selected that substantially increase the potency of the drug. As such, it’s use poses serious potential consequences.
While this Drug is effective in treating some conditions, Muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, Nausea from cancer chemotherapy, Poor appetite and weight loss caused by chronic illness, such as HIV, or nerve pain, Seizure disorders, and
Crohn’s disease, it’s use for this purpose should be monitored and regulated tightly.
This Drug should NOT be legalized for recreational purposes!!!
Look what it’s done to the judgement of our President. He’s giving nukes to Iran.
Many of legalizations opponents, such as Shiela Polk, Yavapai County prosecutor, stand to loose tens-of-thousands of dollars if marijuana becomes a legal product due to asset forfeiture laws. What will they do with the ‘loss’ of all that money? No ski trips and more importantly, no ‘toys’.
If it is my body, isn’t it my ‘right to choose’ what I put in to it?
As long as I cause no harm to another, covered by many, many other laws currently on the books, why must government intervene?
I saw a study suggesting that legalizing marijuana will make it less available to kids. It will put the dealers out of business and the regulated sellers will only sell to those 21 and over.
Let’s stipulate that marijuana is legalized in AZ and tax revenues actually do roll in from its sale. Does anyone who’s been living here for over, say, six months, honestly believe the new found money would be directed to the public schools and not used to lower taxes, build new prisons or some other hare-brained scheme?
Pick your side in the great legalization debate but be realistic about where those new tax revenues will be directed. As we’ve seen before, even when mandated to put aside money for the schools, the legislature simply grins and refuses. And come to think of it, all those unnecessary and unsuccessful court appeals (state and federal) cost millions of dollars.
Now there’s an ideal use for the tax revenues from the legalization of pot.
bslap, that was the study conducted by “High Times” magazine.
lets ask MPP where the 120 million the state collected last year went ? Heck yes I can collect 120 million + and hand over a check for 40 million be given the key to the city and a ticker tape parade be the Golden Child for being so Socially conscious. My biggest problem is explaining how it took 80 million to give away 40 million. And the new department employees will be civil servants so the cost is
exponential in long term labor costs that you will need to add to the cost and to administer that.
I actually seen the next Administration going to court and making federal standards and tariffs and testing that will diminish the need for the Department of Marijuana. So many State’s have so many different conflicting way and practices that if causes an undo burden on personal rights commerce interests. It will make the Dept of MMJ Monopoly making criminal machine vicious in it’s attempt in survival.
Legalize and tax it.
Tobacco and Alcohol are really no better nor worse than marijuana.
Make room in the prison by releasing low end marijuana users/dealers for illegal immigrants. A win win for AMERICA!