Republican Rep. Ethan Orr probably couldn’t get marijuana/PTSD researcher Sue Sisley reinstated at the UA if he tried, but convincing his pot-paranoid fellow lawmakers to decriminalize marijuana to refill the state treasury?
Well, a guy can try—after all it’s election season. Orr happens to be running for re-election for his District 9 seat.
Orr is looking at Colorado, which recently made marijuana legal and taxes, licenses and fees have brought the state more than $7 million so far.
H/T Arizona Republic:
Revenue projections provided Tuesday to the Legislature’s Finance Advisory Committee predict the state will end this budget year with a $520 million deficit and an up to $1 billion deficit in the coming fiscal 2016.
“Given the massive budget shortfall we’re facing, we need to look at revenue and I think this is a logical place we need to look,” Orr said. “I think it’s time to have an intelligent conversation about it (legalization).”
Similar attempts to decriminalize pot have failed in recent years.
Orr said lawmakers should consider his proposal before supporters of an effort to legalize recreational marijuana take their measure before voters in 2016.
The Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona initiative almost certainly will be modeled after the voter-approved marijuana program in Colorado.
For about a year, Colorado has allowed adults 21 and older to buy and possess up to an ounce of pot, which can be purchased at one of the many marijuana shops allowed under the law.
Colorado’s 2013 measure taxed recreational marijuana at 25 percent and earmarked $40 million in tax revenue for school construction.
The state’s Legislative Council recently estimated Colorado can expect to bring in about $175 million through the fiscal year that ends in 2017.
All this marijuana election-season talk is on the heels of the Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona getting permission from the state to start raising campaign funds for their citizen’s initiative to legalize marijuana to go before voters in 2016.
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2014.
The GOP realizes that the monies that should be trickling down from the sky as a result of their whacky policies just ain’t going to fill a thimble, let alone a state treasury anytime soon. Also it gives them the new “moderate” camouflage they need to try to actually win an election.
As my friend remarked, “If there is no money coming in, how can they steal and give to the rich”
Teabaggers! Wake up! Your ideologues have feet of clay
Gee, I thought cutting taxes every year was supposed to have us rolling in dough. It’s hilarious that Republicans think raising taxes is insane, but would consider legalizing pot.
And no comments that actually have any relevance. Typical liberal hatred. The fact remains that marijuana does have medical benefits. Remember liberal whiners that your man Obama, had an obstructionist running the Department of Justice. Holder publicly stated that he would not approve legalized marijuana, then suddenly did a 180. Who ordered him to change policy? At least Orr is attempting to do what a certain percentage of citizens want, and you whiners still attack. Pathetic.
Ethan Orr’s timing is not related to the election now underway and culminating in the official polling day three weeks from today. It couldn’t possibly be. Ethan just is’t that kind of politician. As quoted in the Star this morning, he knows he’ll be reelected so why would he risk having Carolyn Cox, county chairwoman of his party, say his idea is dumb. As is well known in serious circles, more people listen to Carolyn Cox than to the Star’s editorial writers. Also well known in serious circles: candidates who are certain they’re going to win don’t speak a controversial word; indeed some don’t say a thing. Ethan is different. That’s also known in serious circles.
It’s something that should be done, but that isn’t why Orr is proposing it just before an election. He’s trying to grab fence-sitting independent voters by appealing to the more progressive-minded among them. He also knows this has a snowball’s chance in Hell of ever getting out of committee, let alone being put into law, with the Republicans in charge of the legislature.
Hey guys, no hatred here, we’re just confused. Cut taxes, education, services to the poor = prosperity for all; except we’re not sure when that happens.
We started with Ron Reagan in the ’80’s and nary a trickle down yet.
Total nonsense. I’m more interested in developing programs for treating addiction and keeping offenders out of the courts than I am in the State leeching money off of them.
Nobody says anything about the opportunity cost of not legalizing marijuana. That is the savings in legal costs from fewer arrests, costs of prosecuting and prison expenses. Has to far exceed the taxation benefits.