There’s an elephant in the room, and he wants you to sign his petition.
Since the dawn of medical marijuana in 1996, people have hoped the new paradigm would lead to recreational legalization. For some cannabis advocates, the medical veneer is thin (see my column from last week), but there are undeniable deep connections between recreational and medical cannabis users. The Tucson branch of NORML has voiced its willingness to cling to medical coattails as a vehicle to legalization.
Now in Arizona we have a new ally in the quest for legalization, the same ally that made it possible in Washington and Colorado—us.
Last week, the political action committee Safer Arizona filed paperwork with the state declaring its intent to legalize marijuana here via voter initiative. If they can collect 259,213 signatures on petitions by next July, the change to the state Constitution will go on the ballot in November.
Medical cannabis is important to the effort, because the medical world has emerged as the connective tissue among cannabis users of all stripes in Arizona. There are dozens of Facebook pages linking us together in open collaboration, something few were willing to do as recreational users.
The petition drive was sparked by Dennis Bohlke of Phoenix, who was spurred by a DUI conviction for cannabis. His urine tested positive for cannabis metabolites, and he was convicted and later appealed. He is still fighting the conviction, he said.
Meanwhile, Bohlke decided to head off the problem for others. He thinks Arizonans are weary of ruining young people’s lives with felony convictions for minor, victimless offenses and wasting millions of dollars annually on investigation and prosecution.
“I don’t believe they want to do that anymore,” he said.
So he wrote a new amendment to the state Constitution and created Safer Arizona to push not only for legalization, but also to change state DUI laws so people with cannabis metabolites in their blood—which can remain weeks after you use cannabis—can’t be convicted.
I agree in spirit with what Bohlke and his colleagues are doing, but I have reservations. Actually, I see almost no hope it will pass, despite one poll (http://www.brcpolls.com/13/RMP%202013-II-08.pdf) showing 56 percent support for legalization and another showing 59 percent support (http://thecannabisindustry.org/AZ-survey-011113.pdf). My belief it will fail boils down to two words—voting age. The Safer Arizona amendment would legalize cannabis for anyone 18 or older,
Legalization for adults of drinking age is one thing, but I’m not 100 percent sure it’s a good idea for 18-year-olds to use cannabis. If I have reservations, it’s a safe bet that the general population will scoff. It’s highly unlikely Safer Arizona will convince a majority of our oh-so-red state to let high school seniors possess, use, display, purchase, or transport marijuana accessories or two and a half (2.5) ounces or less of marijuana.
So I am sad to say that this effort seems doomed from the start. Frankly, it makes me wonder about the motivations behind it. Why would anyone with realistic intentions to make cannabis legal try to include teens? It seems either incredibly naive or incredibly devious. Including teens in this effort seems like a reliable way to ensure it fails.
This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2013.
The authors of this voter initiative must have felt that adulthood begins at the legal voting age. But why not model the amendment after successful legislation in Colorado and Washington that set the age limit at 21? Smith may be right about this.
If you can vote and fight for our county protecting our rights they be responsible enough to make responsible adult choices.
With your flawed logic Mr. Smith and this is being called SAFER ARIZONA and not LEGALIZATION OF RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA. What is your problem with the plant that you sound like the prohibitionists always harping on recreational marijuana. I seem to remember a constitutional amendment for the repeal of Alcohol prohibition and even during the height of the prohibition folks were allowed to use alcohol for medical purposes and even get a prescription from their doctors for the alcohol. You are indicating that the only legit purpose for using cannabis is medical which is ridiculous since 95% of the uses for the cannabis plant are non-medical (fiber, fuel, medicine, industrial hemp). Only 2 million Americans even have a card or a doctor’s note to use cannabis so what about the other 200 million adults?
Don’t be so sure this won’t pass, Arizona has already passed marijuana legalization 4 times (yes that is right 4 times since we passed industrial hemp once and medical marijuana three times and the people of Arizona are skewing younger and more liberal from the statistical analysis of the last election. In fact in 2014 it is predicted that Arizona will become a “blue state” like our sister state New Mexico which has a much better run program for medical marijuana because they allow for PTSD on their list of qualifying medical conditions.
Do you by chance work for one of the dispensaries in town? I swear I can hear Ken Sobel’s voice when I read your column and you are very hung ho on Green Halo which is fine but if you are affiliated with Green Halo (dispensary agent perhaps), I think readers are entitled to know that.
I believe that recreational marijuana use should be legalized and controlled in the same manner as alcohol, meaning minimum age should be 21. Voting and military combat are hopefully not done under the influence, and do not make a good analogy, in my opinion.
Altering our minds with alcohol is limited to those 21 and over, and so it should also be with marijuana. The issue of detection also needs to be addressed, since marijuana metabolites stay in one’s bloodstream far longer than alcohol.
Yes! An effort to Legalize Marijuana is underway in Arizona. The air is filled with hope and a gulp of common sense that indeed the prohibition of marijuana needs to end. This is a monumental effort and since we are living in a Post “Citizen’s United” world we must understand what is at stake. I want to present some of the reasons why this should NOT be done in 2014 but yet wait and guarantee a victory in 2016 instead. The time and effort that goes into an endeavor such as this must be done by a full 24/7 campaign staff much like prop 203 was run. The amount of signatures needed in a State our size to be clear and easy if any issues were to arise would be around 300,000 for said initiative. In 2014 this seems grim. First it is an off season election. More than likely more nay votes would come out and vote against this initiative. It is the opinion of many professional politicians, that this will not pass and the consequences will be devastating for the whole cause.
Over half of the country wants marijuana legalized, but this process has to be done correctly in order to properly outlast the small minority that would oppose such an effort at all. In 2016 there are plans for this initiative and politically speaking it would stand a fighting chance. If Safer Arizona in fact collects the required amount of signatures in a timely fashion then most certainly more support would come out, but this seems not to be the case so far.
It’s not no to legalization, it’s waiting for the right timing and having the necessary funding and other professional support to pull it off. Big difference – one is simply impatience, the other, lying in wait, putting the pieces in place, and acting with purpose!
We need to be working on voter registration over the next 15 months. We need to get EVERYONE we know registered. That’s the first step! If we can get some solid polling numbers, get support from national and start planting the seeds – the world has not come to an end with dispensaries – we could make some headway. In that way, we can WIN in 2016.
Where can I go to sign the petition..???
I feel like J.M. Smith is becoming more and more of a hypocrite every week 🙁
Impaired driving is the same whether it is legal prescription medication or recreational drugs. There is no difference.
I don’t advocate that any 18 year olds use alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana. I don’t think that many 18 year olds will read the law to decide whether or not to smoke pot. Making it illegal has not stopped over 40% of our population from trying marijuana (government’s own figures) and making it legal won’t convince many of the others who have not tried it to start. Marijuana is more available under the current system to kids than it would be if it were sold and ID were required to purchase it. Kids have reported on the government’s yearly SAMHSA surveys for many years that it is easier for them to get marijuana than it is to get alcohol or tobacco.
I am concerned that an 18 year old who is caught using marijuana is destined to an apparteid like existence for the rest of his life under our current system. If he (or she) has children, those children will probably be taken out of the home. If he wants to further his education he will be unable to get student loans. He can lose the right to vote. He will not be eligible for government housing programs and will be taken off of organ transplant lists. He won’t obtain better paying employment as most employers will not hire a convict. If he was driving he is likely to lose his license which also limits employment opportunities. He is likely to be ordered to pay for a program for addiction although less than 1 out of 10 become addicted. He will probably be required to undergo drug testing that can actually encourage those in the system to use far more dangerous and addictive drugs because they do not remain in his system as long as does marijuana metabolites.
I won’t argue that it is safe for an 18 year old to use marijuana. I am certain that for some it is not. Passing this law will not fix everything but it will begin to fix our broken system that impacts far more people of color and it will allow us to start to heal from this prohibition that has been more harmful to our own people than has the plant itself.
Wow, JM your opinion is flawed in so many ways I don’t know where to begin, but I am not even going to address those issues as they are not important to what is happening in AZ. Corey is right, this effort is probably doomed for 2014 for the reasons he listed and a couple of more points. Historically those who vote yes on cannabis issues do not show up at the polls on off Presidential election years. Statistics show that conservatives come out in droves in non presidential elections. Sadly these people are responsible for some of the ridiculous laws we have on the books. I am not blaming them, the blame should go to the more liberal voters who don’t vote at EVERY election. The conservatives understand this dynamic and that is the reason they introduce propositions that favor their cause. I think many are ready to legalize cannabis in all states, but most are heeding the warnings of the political savvy, and waiting for 2016.
Oh the naysayers throwing in their two cents from the cheap seats seem to forget that in 2010 (mid-term election) the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act passed (and yup it was close) but ultimately you keep kicking at the door and sooner or later you’ll bust through. As long as people want to bring forward ballot initiatives (which are the strongest form of lawmaking besides the constitution) the effort to collect signatures, keep the issue on the front burner and mobilize your support is all good. This fucking prohibition has got to stop and Tucson police arrest over 6,000 people a year for minor marijuana offenses. I for one am sick of seeing law enforcement act more like a military machine (SWAT Team, armored Humvees, armed to the teeth wearing black hoods) than a modern and civil police force. The laws that are passed are to be followed by everyone and law enforcement is no exception so time for some sanity on this persecution of a fricking plant that goes everyone on this planet where this some sunshine and rain.
The 2016 initiative is written by big business. I have not read what they are wanting to be put forth but if like prop 203 it will benefit big business more than the people. 2014 lets get this done.
the longer we wait the more peoples lives will be ruined, right now possession of any amount of cannabis in az. is a felony, and that is just unacceptable, peoples lives are being ruiened and their children are being taken away, I also agree if you are old enough to fight in a war and vote, you are old enough to use cannabis witch is a lot less harmfull than using alcohol or smokeing cigaretts, its time to leagleize and at the very least just make it a simple offense not a felony or mistermeaner
time to legalize in 2014!
no more lies!….legalize!
no worries -some 25 year old’s act like 18 and so on and so on-I am positive legalization is the right thing to do
Look we evolve, plain and simple. We realise tobacco with all its extras added isn’t so great. Alcohol, has shown many lives taken by drunk drivers. Teens do things when they are going through their growing pains. Should youngsters be able to use marijuana? NO! It is not up to anyone other thna “we the people” to decide what is best for our village. And we the people will raise our chbildren better than any generation before. We are raising smart, talented, educated kids. Parents need to parent. Some can marry at 16, usually in more remote towns. So an age minimum of 18 seems appropiate. Even 21. Adult, tax paying individuals should be able to use marijuana if one chooses. Let’s get this on the ballot. Why is it that I just heard about this now?????? I could have been getting signatures.