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The people who brought medical marijuana to Arizona four years ago now want marijuana legal for everyone over the age of 21. The Marijuana Policy Project has filed paperwork with state election officials to form a committee to begin raising funds for a 2016 citizens initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use. Arizona voters narrowly passed Proposition 203 allowing medical cannabis use in 2010.
Communications Director Mason Tvert said the group has plenty of support in Arizona despite the state's traditionally conservative voting patterns. "It appears most Arizona voters are ready to adopt a more sensible policy," he said. "There were a large number of supporters who got on board (in 2010) and are ready to move forward." Tvert said the Arizona initiative would be modeled closely on a previous movement in Colorado, which became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012. Washington was a close second.
According to Tvert, the medical marijuana business here needn't worry about losing its 52,000 registered cardholders. Like Colorado, there likely would be a differentiation in the medical and recreational business models. First, only people 21 and older could purchase recreational weed. In both Arizona and Colorado, the threshold for a medical card is 18 years old. Those under 18 can obtain a medical card if their legal guardian is their designated caregiver.
There could also be a marked difference in pricing. In Colorado, recreational shoppers pay nearly 13 percent in general and special state sales tax, plus a 15 percent excise tax at the wholesale level. Meanwhile, medical cardholders pay the 2.9 percent state sales tax and any local taxes. Dispensaries for recreational and medical marijuana are kept completely separate, even if the same owner operates both. Tvert said this separation as well as the different tax rates keep existing medical card holders from flocking to the recreational dispensaries en masse.
"If you went into a business in Colorado that was doing both and said, 'I want Product A, but it's only on the medical side,' then you can't get it if you don't have a license," he said. Sarah Philyaw, a manager at Arizona Organix in Glendale, one of the first medical dispensaries to open in the state, said she would definitely welcome recreational sellers to the fold, even if it meant more competition.
She said one way to differentiate the two business models would be to sell specific strains and products to medical cardholders and recreational users, as Colorado does. One of the more popular medical products at Arizona Organix, Philyaw said, is a CBD, or cannabidiol, tincture. The sublingual oil doesn't contain THC, or the main psychoactive property of cannabis. "We have patients that buy the bottles for anxiety. They feel a decrease in anxiety and there's other benefits," she said. "It's comparable to taking a vitamin C pill." The Arizona County Attorney and Sheriff's Association signed a resolution in July opposing full legalization, citing various detrimental effects of marijuana use.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Mohavedailynews.com
Author: Lauren Loftus
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Medical marijuana group wants recreational expansion - Mohave Daily News: News
Communications Director Mason Tvert said the group has plenty of support in Arizona despite the state's traditionally conservative voting patterns. "It appears most Arizona voters are ready to adopt a more sensible policy," he said. "There were a large number of supporters who got on board (in 2010) and are ready to move forward." Tvert said the Arizona initiative would be modeled closely on a previous movement in Colorado, which became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012. Washington was a close second.
According to Tvert, the medical marijuana business here needn't worry about losing its 52,000 registered cardholders. Like Colorado, there likely would be a differentiation in the medical and recreational business models. First, only people 21 and older could purchase recreational weed. In both Arizona and Colorado, the threshold for a medical card is 18 years old. Those under 18 can obtain a medical card if their legal guardian is their designated caregiver.
There could also be a marked difference in pricing. In Colorado, recreational shoppers pay nearly 13 percent in general and special state sales tax, plus a 15 percent excise tax at the wholesale level. Meanwhile, medical cardholders pay the 2.9 percent state sales tax and any local taxes. Dispensaries for recreational and medical marijuana are kept completely separate, even if the same owner operates both. Tvert said this separation as well as the different tax rates keep existing medical card holders from flocking to the recreational dispensaries en masse.
"If you went into a business in Colorado that was doing both and said, 'I want Product A, but it's only on the medical side,' then you can't get it if you don't have a license," he said. Sarah Philyaw, a manager at Arizona Organix in Glendale, one of the first medical dispensaries to open in the state, said she would definitely welcome recreational sellers to the fold, even if it meant more competition.
She said one way to differentiate the two business models would be to sell specific strains and products to medical cardholders and recreational users, as Colorado does. One of the more popular medical products at Arizona Organix, Philyaw said, is a CBD, or cannabidiol, tincture. The sublingual oil doesn't contain THC, or the main psychoactive property of cannabis. "We have patients that buy the bottles for anxiety. They feel a decrease in anxiety and there's other benefits," she said. "It's comparable to taking a vitamin C pill." The Arizona County Attorney and Sheriff's Association signed a resolution in July opposing full legalization, citing various detrimental effects of marijuana use.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Mohavedailynews.com
Author: Lauren Loftus
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Medical marijuana group wants recreational expansion - Mohave Daily News: News
