Merrick Deneen
Staff Reporter
The recent passing of prop. 207 in Arizona means that the possession and use of marijuana is now legal for those over 21 years old. What does this mean for Arizona? What should we expect?
Prop. 207 was passed on November 3rd this year with 60% of the state voting to make marijuana legal. Some of the things that it includes is the ability to grow no more than six marijuana plants in residences, as long as it is in a lockable area and out of public view. The Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) is responsible for adopting rules to regulate marijuana, including the licenses of retail stores. There will be a 16% tax on marijuana sales in addition to transaction taxes. Revenue from the taxes will go to community colleges, municipal police, sheriff, fire departments, the state’s Highway Revenue Fund, and a new Justice Reinvestment Fund. This ballot will allow local governments to ban facilities and testing centers. On top of this, the bill allows those convicted of a marijuana related felony to apply to have their records expunged.
This proposition has many positive impacts such as working towards fixing as system that was disproportionately affecting communities of color, and the money made from the taxes is expected to raise close to $2.3 billion for the programs listed above according to Alisa Reznick at Arizona Public Media. However, there are concerns. Those opposed to the bill are not simply opposed to the legalization of marijuana. They are worried that bill will actually put restrictions on the government’s ability to control the industry. Another concern is the Arizona Voter Protection laws. These laws are put in place to keep the government from making drastic changes to a measure passed by voters. This means that there is a limit to the amount of changes that can be made to the proposition so if the community wants to extend the expungement of criminal records, it would be difficult without passing another bill. There are also no ways to quickly test for marijuana consumption in the event of intoxicated driving. Prop. 207 is based on the initiative that California took so there is example that we can look at, but it is important to know that each state is different.
Each state reacts differently to big changes like this and Arizona progressing towards a future that the people voted was best.
Image Credit: Raisa Nastukova on Unsplash
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