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Marijuana Legalization Initiative Filed in Arizona

Arizona Marijuana Legalization

A ballot initiative has been file that – if approved by voters in November 2016 – would legalize marijuana in Arizona for adult recreational use and would regulate and tax marijuana in a similar manner as alcohol.

“It was a long and deliberative drafting process involving a diverse group of stakeholders,” said a member of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the organization that helped get Colorado’s recreational marijuana law implemented. “There were some bumps in the road, but in the end everyone came together to produce the best possible law for Arizona. We are united in this effort to end marijuana prohibition and replace it with a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol.”

Essentially, the Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act would:

– Allow anyone 21 years of age and older to possess and privately consume and grow limited amounts of marijuana (it will remain illegal to consume marijuana in public)
– Establish a system in which licensed businesses can produce and sell marijuana to adults and establish a Department of Marijuana Licenses and Control to regulate the cultivation, manufacturing, testing, transportation, and sale of marijuana in the state
– Provide local governments with the authority to regulate and prohibit marijuana businesses
– Establish a 15% tax on adult marijuana sales in addition to standard sales taxes

Tax revenue from marijuana sales will be used to fund the implementation and enforcement of regulations and any additional revenue will be allocated to the Department of Education for operating costs, construction, maintenance, and full-day kindergarten programs and to the Department of Health Services for public health efforts.

The full text of the initiative is available on the campaign’s website at www.RegulateMarijuanaInArizona.org.

“Marijuana should be produced and sold by licensed businesses in a regulated market, not violent criminals in the underground market,” stated an Arizona marijuana business owner who helped draft the initiative. “Arizona’s medical marijuana businesses have proven that regulation works. It’s time to take that lesson and apply it to all marijuana sales.”

“We’re looking forward to hitting the streets and starting conversations with voters about the benefits of ending marijuana prohibition in Arizona,” said an activist supporting the initiative. “Marijuana prohibition is an irrational policy that causes far more harm than good. Adults should not be treated like criminals simply for using a substance that is safer than alcohol.”

The initiative needs signatures from just over 150,000 registered Arizona voters by June 2016 in order for it to get on the November 2016 ballot.

Learn more about the initiative at www.RegulateMarijuanaInArizona.org.


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Arizona legalized marijuana for recreational use in November 2020. The law allows adults aged 21+ to purchase, possess and use cannabis. State-licensed cannabis dispensaries began selling recreational marijuana in early 2021. There are over 150 dispensaries in Arizona — a majority of them are in populous areas such as Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff.   


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