A cannabis legalization campaign in Arizona is approaching its goal of getting more than 150,000 legitimate signatures to have a spot on the November ballot. The initiative would ask voters in Arizona to legalize cannabis for recreational use and make a system of licensed marijuana dispensaries where sales of the drug would be taxed.
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is only a couple thousand signatures away from receiving the 150,642 signatures required to be able to get on the ballot according to spokesman Barrett Marson on Wednesday. But it seems as though some of those signatures are probably illegitimate because they are from people who are not allowed to vote. The group states that it aims to collect 225,000 signatures.
“Arizonans are clearly excited about this initiative,” Marson said.
Although this may be true, that does not necessarily mean that everyone wants marijuana. There are many people, including a group that has been educating others on the harm on the dangers of marijuana. The Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy have referenced news articles, statistics as well as new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services surveys.
Through the Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act, adults 21 or older are still capable of having up to an ounce of cannabis and grow up to six plants without having licenses, so long as the crops are secure. In addition, it would make a distribution system like Colorado’s, where licensed businesses grow and sell cannabis.
Also, the initiative would make a Department of Marijuana Licenses and Control manage the “cultivation, manufacturing, testing, transportation, and sale of marijuana” and would let local governments receive the authority to regulate and ban pot shops. Finally, it would add a fifteen percent tax on retail sales, which would pay for many things, including but not limited to kindergarten and public health.
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