Arizona Marijuana Laws: Will Weed Be Legalized? Arizona Supporters Hope To Have Recreational Pot Measure For 2018 Election

Although Arizona voters rejected legalization of recreational marijuana in November, supporters are hoping to get a second shot come 2018. Supporters filed an initiative Thursday, the Safer Arizona Legalization Act, which would legalize adult use of marijuana in the state, starting the clock ticking on a 16-month effort to obtain 152,000 valid signatures to get the measure on the ballot.

Although the measure, Proposition 205, failed to pass during the November election — 52 percent of Arizona voters opposed legalizing recreational marijuana compared to the 48 percent who approved — Safer Arizona is hoping new language in the initiative will sway voters when they hit the ballot box in 2018.

The measure not only would allow adults 21 and older to possess, cultivate up to 48 plants at home and consume marijuana legally, but will also repeal all criminal penalties associated with marijuana and replace marijuana offense violations with fines. The referendum aims to protect marijuana consumer’s firearms’ rights as well as custody rights of parents who may consume the plant. Under the new measure, marijuana sales would be taxed and there would be amounts specifically allocated toward education.

“This is what people are getting at when they go for cannabis legalization,” Safer Arizona rep Dave Wisniewski told local media Thursday. “Everything that has passed so far has been investor driven and doesn’t take on the whole problem.”

Arizona was the only one of five states voting on legalization to reject recreational marijuana measures during the 2016 election. California, Massachusetts, Maine and Montana all approved legalization.

Along with marijuana opponents highly funded and successful campaigns against marijuana, Wisniewski said Proposition 205 more than likely failed due to various flaws in the bill’s language.

“There was a large population of cannabis consumers who voted ‘no’ on it,” he added. “I don’t believe Arizona voted down Proposition 205 because they didn’t want marijuana."

Along with Arizona, Michigan may also be considering legalizing recreational marijuana come 2018. Advocates and lawmakers in the state, which already offers medical marijuana, said they would try to get a recreational measure on the 2018 ballot after and EPIC-MRA polls indicated a majority of voters would approve adult use of cannabis.