Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
We will know a lot more about Arizona after voters go to the polls on Nov. 8.
Aside from which Republicans and Democrats will take office, we'll have a good idea whether this state is truly conservative or if it's leaning left. The question that will help define that: whether Arizona is prepared to allow the sale of marijuana for recreational use.
The campaign fight that lies ahead will be intense and expensive.
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana-Like Alcohol has collected more than 258,000 signatures from supporters, and its July 1 financial statement shows the organization has plenty of money - $2.2 million - to get its message out.
Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy is campaigning against the initiative and has conducted a poll of 500 likely voters that shows if the election had been held in April, the measure would have been defeated. That poll also showed a significant number of people haven't made up their minds.
This fight is much different than Arizona's approval of Proposition 203 in 2010, legalizing the sale of medical marijuana. That initiative was approved by a narrow margin - 50.13 percent to 49.87 percent - and opponents of the current campaign argue there wasn't much awareness before voters went to the polls.
That's not the case this time. Already the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and the state association of county sheriffs are outspoken in their opposition. Known conservatives Maricopa County prosecutor Bill Montgomery and Cathi Herrod of the Center for Arizona Policy have committed themselves to campaigning against the initiative.
Whether those voices will have a significant impact is hard to tell. Arizona voters were among the first in the nation to approve medical marijuana in 1996 and again in 1998. Both of those measures were thrown out when it was determined that the language of the initiatives failed to protect patients from prosecution. Another ballot measure in 2002 would have allowed the sale of small amounts of marijuana but was defeated by voters.
That's one reason the Nov. 8 ballot question is so intriguing and will define the direction of Arizona's politics.
When Republicans took control and Jan Brewer became governor in 2009, conservative lawmakers did everything to delay the implementation of the medical marijuana initiative. Brewer filed a lawsuit seeking clarification from federal authorities; and despite its approval in 2010, it took more than two years for the first sale to happen in Arizona.
Four states currently allow the sale of marijuana for recreational purposes, and another three - besides Arizona - are expected to have initiatives on state ballots this fall.
Where voters stand on the issue after Nov. 8 will go a long way in defining whether this state is still among the most conservative in the nation.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana Battle Heating Up
Author: Staff
Photo Credit: AP
Website: Green Valley News
Aside from which Republicans and Democrats will take office, we'll have a good idea whether this state is truly conservative or if it's leaning left. The question that will help define that: whether Arizona is prepared to allow the sale of marijuana for recreational use.
The campaign fight that lies ahead will be intense and expensive.
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana-Like Alcohol has collected more than 258,000 signatures from supporters, and its July 1 financial statement shows the organization has plenty of money - $2.2 million - to get its message out.
Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy is campaigning against the initiative and has conducted a poll of 500 likely voters that shows if the election had been held in April, the measure would have been defeated. That poll also showed a significant number of people haven't made up their minds.
This fight is much different than Arizona's approval of Proposition 203 in 2010, legalizing the sale of medical marijuana. That initiative was approved by a narrow margin - 50.13 percent to 49.87 percent - and opponents of the current campaign argue there wasn't much awareness before voters went to the polls.
That's not the case this time. Already the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and the state association of county sheriffs are outspoken in their opposition. Known conservatives Maricopa County prosecutor Bill Montgomery and Cathi Herrod of the Center for Arizona Policy have committed themselves to campaigning against the initiative.
Whether those voices will have a significant impact is hard to tell. Arizona voters were among the first in the nation to approve medical marijuana in 1996 and again in 1998. Both of those measures were thrown out when it was determined that the language of the initiatives failed to protect patients from prosecution. Another ballot measure in 2002 would have allowed the sale of small amounts of marijuana but was defeated by voters.
That's one reason the Nov. 8 ballot question is so intriguing and will define the direction of Arizona's politics.
When Republicans took control and Jan Brewer became governor in 2009, conservative lawmakers did everything to delay the implementation of the medical marijuana initiative. Brewer filed a lawsuit seeking clarification from federal authorities; and despite its approval in 2010, it took more than two years for the first sale to happen in Arizona.
Four states currently allow the sale of marijuana for recreational purposes, and another three - besides Arizona - are expected to have initiatives on state ballots this fall.
Where voters stand on the issue after Nov. 8 will go a long way in defining whether this state is still among the most conservative in the nation.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana Battle Heating Up
Author: Staff
Photo Credit: AP
Website: Green Valley News
