Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
An initiative to regulate marijuana so that adults can legally purchase, carry and consume small amounts of the substance will "absolutely" make it to the ballot come this November, according to spokesmen from the campaign.
"On the local and state level this initiative will affect each person," said Chris Sarappo, an independent write-in candidate for the House in Legislative District 11, whose main platform is the legalization of marijuana. "It's going to create jobs, it'll guarantee tens of millions in tax revenue and it takes it out of the hands of the drug dealer."
The initiative he is pushing for is the Arizona Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act, which will likely be on the ballot in November. The due date for all of the petition signatures is July 7.
Currently the initiative has roughly 240,000 signatures on the petitions, well over the roughly 150,000 needed to get on the ballot with the extras as breathing room for invalid signatures, according to Barrett Marson, the communications director for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol.
The initiative as written would allow adults over 21 to buy and possess up to one ounce of marijuana, with not more than 5 grams being a concentrate such as hasheesh. A 15 percent sales tax would be levied against retail marijuana, which would go toward funding education and public health. In addition to the tax on the marijuana itself, the sale would also incur state and local taxes based on jurisdiction.
In addition it sets up the Department of Marijuana Licenses and Control, which would regulate the distribution of the plant from seed to sale.
Right now polls for the initiative are around 50-50; some have it barely passing, while others have it barely failing. According to campaign organizers, their strategy is to talk to Arizona voters about the benefits of ending "prohibition."
"Prohibition has been a terrible and failed policy for marijuana just like it was for alcohol," said Marson. "The money from selling it goes to the drug dealers and cartels that illegally bring drugs into this country."
Opposition to the bill comes from the Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy. Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, who is also the vice chair of the ARDP, has been a very vocal opponent of the ballot measure.
The main talking points of the opposition group are about use of marijuana among teens, impaired driving as a result of marijuana use and the ability of employers to fire workers that are using marijuana.
Use of marijuana among teens is the fear that Marson said he hears concerns about the most.
"Right now, teens who want marijuana can easily obtain it; this will make it harder," said Marson. "When you reduce the black markets it will be more difficult for teens to get it."
A poll released last week by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment shows that teen use of marijuana has actually dropped slightly from 22 percent to 21.2 percent between 2011 and 2015. The national average of teens who use marijuana on a monthly basis is 21.7 percent, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey released earlier this month.
As far as impaired driving goes, there have been many studies done in Colorado and Washington, which are considered to be study areas for other states looking to legalize.
A report by the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, which examined fatal accidents involving impaired drivers between 2010 and 2014, found that there was "insufficient evidence for determining a link between THC and crash risk."
However, fatalities involving "drugged drivers" went up 10 percent between 2012 and 2014, after legalization took effect, according to Colorado Department of Transportation statistics. Only about 33 percent of those drivers tested positive for cannabis in 2013, and more than one half did in 2014.
In terms of inability of employers to fire those they deem impaired by marijuana on the job, the vast majority of private sector jobs in Arizona involve "at-will" employment, according to the Arizona State Bar, which oftentimes deals with wrongful termination cases. An at-will employee can be fired without reason at any time and can quit at any time.
The same cannot be said for public sector employees. The ARDP fears that legalization will lead to more stoned first responders. The initiative covers this, as a marijuana impaired paramedic would be deemed to have "negligence and professional malpractice."
Marson contends that the state is already dealing with all these issues now. People still buy and consume marijuana regularly, but regulation would allow for more effective methods to test for and prosecute those who are under the influence of cannabis at inappropriate times.
For Sarappo, a vote against the Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act is a vote against millions of dollars for local schools.
His Republican election opponents, incumbents Vince Leach and Mark Finchem, have both publicly opposed legalization.
Finchem voiced his opposition in a letter to the Casa Grande Dispatch while Leach used his Twitter account to post an opinion piece by liberal Arizona Republic columnist Linda Valdez that spoke out against the initiative.
The Democratic challenger for the House in LD11, Corin Hammond, does not outright advocate for the initiative. She advocates for legislative compliance for voter- enacted laws.
"If Arizonans vote to regulate marijuana like alcohol, then I support the will of the voters and will fight for the tax revenue to be used for its intended purposes," said Hammond in an email.
Her Democratic "running mate" Ralph Atchue, who is running for the Senate in the same district, said he fully supports the legalization of cannabis to increase tax revenues.
Meanwhile, Sarappo will continue to advocate for the initiative.
"These people who are against legalization have a chance to be on the right side of history," said Sarappo. "The times are changing."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Election 2016 - Supporters - Bill Will 'Absolutely' Be On November Ballot
Author: Tanner Clinch
Contact: (520) 836-7461
Photo Credit: GW Pharma
Website: Casa Grande Dispatch
"On the local and state level this initiative will affect each person," said Chris Sarappo, an independent write-in candidate for the House in Legislative District 11, whose main platform is the legalization of marijuana. "It's going to create jobs, it'll guarantee tens of millions in tax revenue and it takes it out of the hands of the drug dealer."
The initiative he is pushing for is the Arizona Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act, which will likely be on the ballot in November. The due date for all of the petition signatures is July 7.
Currently the initiative has roughly 240,000 signatures on the petitions, well over the roughly 150,000 needed to get on the ballot with the extras as breathing room for invalid signatures, according to Barrett Marson, the communications director for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol.
The initiative as written would allow adults over 21 to buy and possess up to one ounce of marijuana, with not more than 5 grams being a concentrate such as hasheesh. A 15 percent sales tax would be levied against retail marijuana, which would go toward funding education and public health. In addition to the tax on the marijuana itself, the sale would also incur state and local taxes based on jurisdiction.
In addition it sets up the Department of Marijuana Licenses and Control, which would regulate the distribution of the plant from seed to sale.
Right now polls for the initiative are around 50-50; some have it barely passing, while others have it barely failing. According to campaign organizers, their strategy is to talk to Arizona voters about the benefits of ending "prohibition."
"Prohibition has been a terrible and failed policy for marijuana just like it was for alcohol," said Marson. "The money from selling it goes to the drug dealers and cartels that illegally bring drugs into this country."
Opposition to the bill comes from the Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy. Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, who is also the vice chair of the ARDP, has been a very vocal opponent of the ballot measure.
The main talking points of the opposition group are about use of marijuana among teens, impaired driving as a result of marijuana use and the ability of employers to fire workers that are using marijuana.
Use of marijuana among teens is the fear that Marson said he hears concerns about the most.
"Right now, teens who want marijuana can easily obtain it; this will make it harder," said Marson. "When you reduce the black markets it will be more difficult for teens to get it."
A poll released last week by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment shows that teen use of marijuana has actually dropped slightly from 22 percent to 21.2 percent between 2011 and 2015. The national average of teens who use marijuana on a monthly basis is 21.7 percent, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey released earlier this month.
As far as impaired driving goes, there have been many studies done in Colorado and Washington, which are considered to be study areas for other states looking to legalize.
A report by the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, which examined fatal accidents involving impaired drivers between 2010 and 2014, found that there was "insufficient evidence for determining a link between THC and crash risk."
However, fatalities involving "drugged drivers" went up 10 percent between 2012 and 2014, after legalization took effect, according to Colorado Department of Transportation statistics. Only about 33 percent of those drivers tested positive for cannabis in 2013, and more than one half did in 2014.
In terms of inability of employers to fire those they deem impaired by marijuana on the job, the vast majority of private sector jobs in Arizona involve "at-will" employment, according to the Arizona State Bar, which oftentimes deals with wrongful termination cases. An at-will employee can be fired without reason at any time and can quit at any time.
The same cannot be said for public sector employees. The ARDP fears that legalization will lead to more stoned first responders. The initiative covers this, as a marijuana impaired paramedic would be deemed to have "negligence and professional malpractice."
Marson contends that the state is already dealing with all these issues now. People still buy and consume marijuana regularly, but regulation would allow for more effective methods to test for and prosecute those who are under the influence of cannabis at inappropriate times.
For Sarappo, a vote against the Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act is a vote against millions of dollars for local schools.
His Republican election opponents, incumbents Vince Leach and Mark Finchem, have both publicly opposed legalization.
Finchem voiced his opposition in a letter to the Casa Grande Dispatch while Leach used his Twitter account to post an opinion piece by liberal Arizona Republic columnist Linda Valdez that spoke out against the initiative.
The Democratic challenger for the House in LD11, Corin Hammond, does not outright advocate for the initiative. She advocates for legislative compliance for voter- enacted laws.
"If Arizonans vote to regulate marijuana like alcohol, then I support the will of the voters and will fight for the tax revenue to be used for its intended purposes," said Hammond in an email.
Her Democratic "running mate" Ralph Atchue, who is running for the Senate in the same district, said he fully supports the legalization of cannabis to increase tax revenues.
Meanwhile, Sarappo will continue to advocate for the initiative.
"These people who are against legalization have a chance to be on the right side of history," said Sarappo. "The times are changing."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Election 2016 - Supporters - Bill Will 'Absolutely' Be On November Ballot
Author: Tanner Clinch
Contact: (520) 836-7461
Photo Credit: GW Pharma
Website: Casa Grande Dispatch
