Well, it’s official, guys: Arizona could well be on its way to legalize recreational marijuana this year.
Today, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted more than 250,000 signatures to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office. The measure only needs 150,642 valid signatures to make the general election ballot, so the fate of legalization could be up to voters in November. We’ll probably hear whether CRMLA qualified around in August, according to a press release from the campaign.
“We are very encouraged by the strong levels of support and enthusiasm we found among voters during the petition drive,” says a media statement from CRMLA Chairman J.P. Holyoak. “Arizonans are ready to end the antiquated policy of marijuana prohibition and replace it with a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol. We look forward to continuing the public conversation about the initiative and we think most will agree it is a sensible step forward for our state.”
The initiative allows adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana. You would be able to smoke weed at home and purchase it from a licensed retailer. You could also grow up to six plants in an enclosed, locked space. No more than 12 weed plants would be allowed to grow in the same household.
Cities and counties would be authorized to impose limits on where and when marijuana businesses are allowed to operate. They could also prohibit home growing if it is considered a nuisance or dangerous, or enact zoning regulations for marijuana establishments.
Retail marijuana sales would be taxed at 15 percent and the revenue would be used in the implementation and enforcement of recreational weed regulation. Additional funds would be allocated mostly to education—40 percent to school maintenance and operation costs; 40 percent for full-day kindergarten programs— and 20 percent to the Arizona Department of Health Services for substance abuse awareness.
When it comes to penalties, possessing more than one ounce of weed or cultivation of more than six plants per person would be a felony. It would be illegal to sell any marijuana without a business license. Driving while high would also still be a crime, but the initiative says a person shouldn’t be punished merely over the presence of metabolites or components of marijuana.
Once established, the Department of Marijuana Licenses and Control would oversee the licensing system—accept, deny and/or renew license applications—and enforce the rules stipulated in the initiative. The governor would appoint the director and seven commission members—four of whom couldn’t directly or indirectly have financial interests in the marijuana industry. The medical marijuana program will eventually be transferred from AZDHS to the Department of Marijuana Licenses and Control.
The anti-legalization group Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy says it is still committed to stopping the initiative. Since the beginning of ARDP’s campaign, the group has argued legalization will trigger increased marijuana use among teenagers, higher high school drop-out rates, more traffic accidents and substance abuse.
Chairman of ARDP Seth Leibsohn says in a press release that the proposition won’t accomplish anything supporters are being promised, while Vice-Chair and Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk says the measure will only create a monopoly for the medical marijuana industry, “making them wealthy while the rest of us pay the price.”
“It does not permit limited amounts…It will not eliminate the black market, just as it has not in Colorado or Washington,” Leibsohn says in a media statement. “This proposition upends decades and decades of good and hard prevention work while at the same time negatively affecting everything from our health, education, welfare, and law enforcement systems.”
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry President and CEO Glenn Hamer, Lea Marquez-Peterson, president and CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery have also advocated against legalization.
In a prepared statement, Marquez-Peterson warns the business community, as she argues legalizing weed “diminishes employers’ rights to regulate their workplace and provide a safe environment for their employees.” But, the CRMLA initiative, which is backed by the Washington D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, allows employers to establish their own rules regarding employees consuming weed off the job. Also, the measure says you couldn’t show up to work high.
“As a state, we should be focusing on bringing high paying jobs and new business to Tucson—and to the state. We should not be fighting to add another addictive substance and government entity to our community,” Marquez-Peterson adds.
In mid-June, another group seeking to legalize weed, Arizonans for Mindful Regulation, suspended its campaign until 2018. Their new focus is to boycott the CRMLA initiative because they believe it is restrictive and continues to fuel weed criminalization. With pretty much no money and entirely volunteer-run, AZFMR managed to collect about 100,000 signatures by April.
“Starting on Oct. 1, we’ll begin finalizing the official language of our new AZFMR 2018 Marijuana Legalization Initiative. Just like last time, we’ll be working hand-in-hand with anyone and everyone who will talk to us to ensure that our new AZFMR 2018 Initiative is AWESOME!” Jason Medar, founder of AZFMR, said on Facebook back in June.
The Weekly reached out to AZFMR for an interview, but the group says they are not ready to give any official statements about their “Vote NO on MPP’s harmful marijuana initiative” efforts.
In April, Medar told the Weekly he believed the CRMLA folks were a “bunch of greedy savages who only care about the money and don’t give a shit about [medical marijuana] patients and consumers.”
This article appears in Jun 30 – Jul 6, 2016.
This proposition defines marijuana as all parts of the plant; leafs, stems, seed, flowers, etc.
It limits possession of Marijuana to 1 ounce.
You better hope those 6 plants it allows you to grow are small because the second the stems and leaves add up to more than 1 ounce you are breaking the law.
It was explicitly written this way because it’s authors are going to directly benefit from retail sales and people growing at home is a threat to their profits.
I am not sure how to vote on this fucked up bill….
So, here’s what I find confusing. The CRMLA initiative would allow people to possess up to one ounce of marijuana. How would this affect AZ’s current medical marijuana patients who are presently allowed to possess 2.5 ounces every two weeks? Would their ration be reduced? And how often would the CRMLA initiative allow consumers to purchase marijuana?
Please don’t vote for this nonsense. Its a carrot on a stick. Or a bud on a stick… You know that stuff that’s tied to a stick.
Cannabis should be legal because it never should have been illegal. It is not harmful like the substances they want to regulate and tax it as. Don’t let the profiteers win this one.
Vote for this. It isn’t perfect, but over time, these imperfect laws will evolve to something closer to a truly fair policy. It would be crazy to continue prohibition just because this initiative isn’t exactly what we’d like.
What this is is a “PLEA BARGAIN” to commit a limited crime. The rules on regulations have not been written. Just like the 25 mile regulation thats was written after the fact. Then it went to administrative review.Then to a challenge to a “Administrative Court” who said yea they can write a rule. This is the marketing ugly that will rip your family and community apart keeping you high.
Just how is it that a Department of Marijuana license and controls will oversee how money is spent on schools ? This board made up from career administrators that will build a department inline with administrative law. What that means is years upon years, upon years, of legal battles. Validating their own bank, immune from price fixing, investigation, following administering the medical aspects. Only to ask if administrative rules were not followed. Then given a chance to amend the rules.
This is pure bullshit. what this BS agency want is the hundreds of millions. Yea that is right hundreds upon hundreds of million of dollars sitting in the AZDHS MMJ accounts. This monies would automatically be transferred into a new agency without any stated rules. (really what a freaking stupid idea)
Montana one of the first states to allow medical marijuana. This state saw the ugly marketing. By popular vote Montana repealed the MMJ because of abuses just like this. Collaboration between market forces and prosecution for promotion of market while imprisoning those poor infirm, mentally and physically challenged and the small neighborhood forced that supplied them. This caused such a huge cost not sustainable. So now Montana MMJ allows for a grower to have 3 patients and grow for them it allows for them to charge and be compensated. 600 licenses and growing huge amount of applications. This is MMJ Patient to qualified grower. And growers can trade weigh for weight for different carbinols.
A just like Human Bean said an ounce trim what. So if you had a handful of stems that you thought you make butter with. You are over the 1 ounce legal limit on top of that you have a cookie sheet that you decarboxylated the stems. On top of that you have a pot with butter in and you use the cookie sheet to make brownies. cut up the brownies and put them in cellophane. You would now have 3 additional felonies on top of the 1 ounce limit manufacturing distribution (individually wrapped). This is what CRMLA promoting the medically needs the dependent the daily user goes under the buss while it become a good investment because the market is politically and police protected.
This is the emperor has no clothes, or a trojan horse, the check is in the mail.
Don Berry and any other of the opinion that this is a start.
This is not a change to the LAW!!!! get it !!!!!!!!!! this is a plea agreement to break the law. Protection of the market that is all.
We can and will do better this is like the first pencil that a car salesman gives you. Yea it is not perfect we can do better in 2018 but it will be much easier if you dont have 400 million already sitting in AZDHS bank waiting to work against the people that put it in there.
This is nothing more than allowing a retailer to promote the use collect taxes and imprison for non-compliance.
So Tucson has finally found it’s economic niche. Drugs for users. How pitiful. Write off more companies moving here.
Marijuana consumers deserve and demand equal rights and protections under our laws that are currently afforded to the drinkers of far more dangerous and deadly, yet perfectly legal, widely accepted, endlessly advertised and glorified as an All American pastime, booze.
Plain and simple!
Legalize Marijuana Nationwide!
It’s time for us, the majority of The People to take back control of our national marijuana policy. By voting OUT of office any and all politicians who very publicly and vocally admit to having an anti-marijuana, prohibitionist agenda! Time to vote’em all OUT of office. Period. Plain and simple.
Politicians who continue to demonize Marijuana, Corrupt Law Enforcement Officials who prefer to ruin peoples lives over Marijuana possession rather than solve real crimes who fund their departments toys and salaries with monies acquired through Marijuana home raids, seizures and forfeitures, and so-called “Addiction Specialists” who make their income off of the judicial misfortunes of our citizens who choose marijuana, – Your actions go against The Will of The People and Your Days In Office Are Numbered! Find new careers before you don’t have one.
The People have spoken! Get on-board with Marijuana Legalization Nationwide, or be left behind and find new careers. Your choice.
Legalize Nationwide!
Marijuana Legalization Nationwide is an inevitable reality that’s approaching much sooner than prohibitionists think and there is nothing they can do to stop it!
Legalize Nationwide! By Support Each and Every State’s Marijuana Legalization Efforts!
im voting yes
In N.Y. I got busted with a joint in 1969. I was charged with one count of violating section 220-05 of the N.Y. State penal code. possession of a dangerous drug. I was looking at 8 years for a freaking joint. The cop was a total dick. He hosed the whole case on the stand and I walked on illegal search and seizure. I’m not as up on the law as some of you guys. However, if my yes vote can keep one poor bastard from going through what I did I’m all in for yes.
We could all agree that user tax would satisfy the government enough to legalize it. Why don’t we offer up 25% of our pay as a user fee?
Oh wait, we don’t work do we? What’s plan #2? I’m out of papers.
If you vote no, then nothing changes. If you vote yes, at least there is a chance for a change
#SaveMMJ #VoteKnow2016 #AZFMR2018
I had a Grandmother who survived the depression as a farmer in Iowa. With a husband who was stricken with severe complications from Diabetes. She kept the farm 80 acres bought 40 acres timber down the road in 36. Raised 4 children whom all did well in their own right.
Her first words were to all here children do rely on others common sense as there is NO sense that common.
Moral: If Grandmother had listened to the bankers and mortgaged the farm to maximum “COMMON SENSE” for the time She would have lost the farm
DON’T VOTE TO LOSE THE FARM
If it was left up to me to make that decision I would first of all, criminalize the use of alcohol and pot for recreational purposes. 2. anyone caught selling or distributing cocaine, meth, L.S.D. Spice, to one of our children under the legal age and intern they have deceased or suffered irreversible brain damage due to the use of any of the drugs I’ve stated. I would have that individual stand before a firing squad, composed of the siblings closest living relatives. father, mother, brothers, sisters, and shut as punishment for his or her crime.
Good thing that it’s not left up to you.
You seem uptight.
Maybe you should go to the bar and have a drink, or better yet, fire up a spliff.
Then you could reexamine your feelings about impinging your draconian beliefs on those who choose to relax in ways which you do not.
Please, do yourself and others a favour and mind your own business.
Right yo are, Dc. Methinks the man is a wee bit uptight.
The harmful effects of the cannabis plant began when certain “leaders” started the lies that were used to make this plant illegal for their own selfish prejudice purposes. When, not if, marijuana becomes legal, the beneficial uses of this plant will finally become recognized. There is so much damage that has been done to so many people because of the stupid laws against pot.
The thing is, Dave, we already criminalized the use of alcohol for recreational purposes back in 1919. As you may recall, it did not work out too well.
Dave: looks like your going for “Sharia Law” Common sense for some cultures. I will default to AMERICAN civil personal rights as my base for common sense. So I guess there is NO SENSE THAT’S COMMON. So do you really want to depend on what others call common sense?
What sort of reporting is this? The good non profit that brought us this opportunity to be free from the prohibition that has poisoned our people for decades is the same that legalized Colorado. The man who is quoted at the end of this article is standing up for the black market when he calls the Marijuana Policy Project greedy. He works for an operation out of California that ruined their legalization a few years ago. I have been an unpaid volunteer for cannabis for eight years in our state, and I am appalled to see such reporting from a news source I once trusted. Jason Madar is nothing but a bafoon who is mad because he will no longer be able to sell bags of weed after regulation. Get a real job, Jason Medar, and stop standing in the way of our freedom.
When this passes we will be able to carry one ounce of marijuana, grow six of our plants that can produce as much as we like as long as it stays at home, and we will legalize hemp production.
Any red blooded American Arizonan who doesn’t want to see that is either uneducated about cannabis, a prohibitionist, or a criminal trying to save the Black Market.
To Ex-Arizonan:
Medical Patients may still possess up to 2.5 ounces, and there is no tally of product purchased within the adult use parameters.
Kathy Inman ; If the CRLMA passes it will be the end of MMJ. It will immediately be transferred into the Department of Marijuana License and Controls. It will then be up to the board on how they will relinquish certain medical considerations to AZDHS for medical purposes.
Everything you have stated is false. The creation of the DMLC will maintain a high level of price. Thus giving margin for the black market to flourish.
To not take this as fact; Let’s look At Washington State Univ. The “Consequences and Cost of Marijuana Prohibition ”
https://aclu-wa.org/library_files/MarijuanaProhibition.pdf
These undeniable results of the type of prohibition the MPP’s CRLMA will have. It is not true anything because nothing trueful has been said yet. Just who is are the backers of the initiative why are they hiding? Not the supporters but the money backers?
Ive never made a dime -and stand to make no money. I am here because this plant heals and saves lives -and I know hemp will save the planet.
I want to grow six plants. I want people to stop having penalties for possession. This CRMLA would have protected me and the majority of Arizonans all of their lives.
MPP did not do Washington’s initiative.
MPP did legalize Colorado.
MPP did give 90,000 Arizonans their medical rights.
I trust MPP. I am VOTING YES.
I have lived in Arizona since 1992 and I know the harms of alcohol. It is time for a safer alternative to be legal and available to Everyone.
I am not going to go for personal testimonies or character questions. One undeniable fact is MPP’s proposal is still prohibition. Prohibition that in one form or another has not worked for close to 80 years now. Prohibition that was always focused to keep the youth and protect society from perils. Again this has not worked again we are asked for a new brand of prohibition. A brand where it’s use and distribution manufacture will be controlled and that will be arbitrary.
While it is true MPP wrote the initiative that passed by 51% what was it’s intention ? All the board of Directors of MPP have been replaced since then and the previous president has defaming comments about the currents board. It appears the current board is also sits on so many industry boards and councils hardly relates to good faith IMHO. I dont believe a patient hold tribute to any before those, that have been convicted differently just between counties. Those that have had multiple felonies attached for just having papers and a pipe.
While I thank You Kathy Inman for your patronage in this evil. One we call prohibition. It is not matter what the face and between repealing of 13-3401 and this ridiculous industry based initiative.
For the record I am elderly and family has been here since before it was a territory. I have lost family in every war and that too of the war on drugs. I am not associated with part of this industry and would proudly meet you for a public town hall forum for the good of the people. Lets chat?
This whole discussion reminds me of one quote from Abe Lincoln
” You can argue points, however you can’t argue against right”
MLK ; ” Injustice anywhere is an attack on justice everywhere”
To allow municipalities and counties to decide if they want to allow rights ? Remindes me of one state slave one state free.