Arizona Voters Likely To Reject Recreational Marijuana Initiative

[Katelyn Baker]

Arizonans may get to decide in the November election whether to legalize recreational marijuana in the state.

Supporters of a campaign to legalize marijuana for recreational use submitted 258,582 petition signatures to the Secretary of State's office in late June. They need 150,642 valid signatures to put the measure on the November 8 election ballot.

The Arizona Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act would legalize marijuana for anyone over 21 years old. Arizonans would be allowed to have six marijuana plants in your house, and marijuana sales would be subject to a 15 percent tax with the revenue from that going to education and healthcare.

But a new poll says if the vote were taken today, the plan would be defeated. The survey of likely voters by the O-H Predictive Insights organization says they are rejecting the measure.

"Thirty-nine percent of Arizonans would approve the measure while about 52-and-a-half percent said they would vote 'no,' and then you're sitting with about 8-and-a-half percent undecided," said Mike Noble, the Managing Partner and Chief Pollster of O-H Predictive Insights, which conducted the poll.

"The 'no' vote - and it's not much of a surprise - is because of rural Arizona. They tend to be more conservative," said Noble. "The second-strongest was Maricopa county, where the 'no' vote was 54 percent. Pima County was at the low end at 45 percent against."

The measure was essentially tied there with the "yes" vote coming in just more than 45.5 percent.

Noble said that the measure appears to be losing because older Arizonans are more likely to vote.

"They tend to be more conservative, and I don't think they are nearly as warmed up to the idea (of legalized marijuana) as millennials or the younger generation," said Noble.

Noble added that the pro-marijuana campaign does have what he calls "significant resources," and it will be interesting to see if the vote will turn around.

News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Arizona Voters Likely To Reject Recreational Marijuana Initiative
Author: Bob McClay
Contact: (602) 274-6200
Photo Credit: Elaine Thompson
Website: KTAR News

 

[hempaz]

"Arizonans may get to decide in the November election whether to legalize recreational marijuana in the state."

The numbers are correct. Arizona is primarily a "dead-red" state.

However, there are a lot of Republican (center) voters who are afraid to voice dissent against the right-wing whackos that have held Az captive since re-district-ing in the 50's and '60's.

At the recent Az #2016 GOP Delegate Convention held in Mesa, Arizona a great many GOP delegates were appalled at the speaker Seth Liebson spouted off about the perceived horrors of Cannabis regulation in Colorado. "Don't fall on the grenade like Colorado did!" was their battle cry.

In Arizona, "Reefer Madness" is still very much alive and well.

And, with dozens of prisons run by private corporate prison companies, the "low hanging fruit" of Cannabis convictions keeps the body count rolling along.

In Arizona, ANY amount of dweeb in possession is a felony.

Under the proposed #MPP initiative, the felony tag would go away for possession of (1) ounce or less of Cannabis flowers or (5) grams of edible dabs.

In addition, every household in the great State of Arizona will have the opportunity and authority to cultivate up to (12) Cannabis plants.

Not a bad deal, heh?

Our wayward brethren who rail against the initiative because of the perceived hoarding of dispensary power may apply for a "new" dispensary license during the open window in July, pre-election.

A lot of voters at the upcoming November general election on Nov 8th will vote for Trump in Arizona. That is a given.

However, what people don't realize, and what the polls do not grasp just yet, are the fact that a lot of center-leaning Republican voters will also vote for Cannabis on Nov 8th!

Now, nobody saw that marriage coming. "Don't blame me ... I voted for Trump and Cannabis!"

And, on Nov 8th, if the court allows the #RecMj petition to be placed at the foot of the voters, as our state enablers once envisioned, you will see that margin of error close very quickly.

It will be another "toss-up" in Arizona come Nov 8th, just like the #MedMj initiative of #2010 barely passed by a margin of less than 5,000 votes.

We could be ordering recreational hemp seed come November 8th, or we could be just another restricted #MedMj state wishing the genetics of the plant were simply left alone by the authorities.