Marijuana will be legal for recreational use in Arizona.
The defeat of Proposition 205 wont stop that.
The chairman of the anti-205 campaign got it wrong when she said after the election, The true winners of this victory are the children and grandchildren in our state.
Actually, the true winners are Gov. Doug Ducey and members of the Arizona Legislature.
The defeat of Prop. 205 is an opportunity for them to do the smart thing, the right thing and the inevitable thing:
Legalize recreational pot use through legislation.
This movement isn’t going away
The movement to legalize marijuana is not going away. More than 1,500,000 Arizonans voted for legalization. Look at the generation coming into adulthood and youll recognize that the number is only going to go up.
In a concession statement, the chairman of the pro-205 group, J.P. Holyoak, said in part, We thank the more than 1 million Arizona voters who cast their ballots in favor of ending the failed policy of marijuana prohibition. We are disappointed the initiative came up short, but we are encouraged by the impressive amount of support it received This years election did not close the book on marijuana prohibition in Arizona … Thanks to the gains we made with the Prop. 205 campaign, we are confident that Arizona will be among the next round of states to end prohibition and start regulating marijuana like alcohol.
Hes right.
In the last election, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada joined Colorado, Alaska, Oregon and Washington as places where adults can purchase and use the drug. Other states approved marijuana for medical use, as already exists in Arizona.
The handwriting is on the wall.
If another one passes, they can’t touch it
If sometime in the not-too-distant future we get another proposition the vote will likely go the other way.
And if legalization comes about by way of a voter initiative the Legislature cant touch it. Cant tweak it. Cant do anything to it.
However, if the Legislature were to pass a bill legalizing recreational marijuana use lawmakers would have total control over all aspects of the transactions. Theyd get to determine how many licenses would be granted. And where the distributors would be located. And how much they would be taxed. And where that tax money would go.
And should any aspect of that process not go the way they wanted it to go they could change it. Fix it. Readjust it.
Its the smarter way to go.
Lawmakers can take control while theres still time.
If the governor and the Legislature genuinely cared about the children and grandchildren in our state thats what theyd do.
They would legalize recreational marijuana.
Its the one way the only way for them to make sure Arizona doesnt go to pot.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Why Lawmakers Should Legalize Marijuana
Author: EJ Montini
Contact: 800-331-9303
Photo Credit: Chmee2
Website: The Arizona Republic
