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Arizona needs to go green in November

Prop 205 would legalize the recreational usage of marijuana in the state of Arizona, and decrease the prison populations.

A student activist from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) smokes a joint in anticipation of the vote on Proposition 203 last September. Rep. John Fillmore, R-Apache Junction, recently introduced House Bill 2228, which would de-felonize possession of marijuana in Arizona.

A student activist from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) smokes a joint in anticipation of the vote on Proposition 203 last September. Rep. John Fillmore, R-Apache Junction, recently introduced House Bill 2228, which would de-felonize possession of marijuana in Arizona.


If I told you that you could spend a minimum of four months of incarceration for possession of plant matter, would you look at me like I was crazy?

Well, I wouldn't be crazy.

Arizona has a real chance to fix this in November. Proposition 205, formally known as the Arizona Marijuana Legalization Initiative, has made it onto the ballot. By a simple majority vote, Arizona can increase revenues for health and education, and most importantly it can take a step to remove itself from the habit of mass incarceration that plagues the country. 

We have a chance to put an end to destroying people's lives over a plant. In 2014, there were over 700,000 arrests across the country for marijuana-related offenses. Of that number, 88 percent were charges for simple possession alone.

David Wells, a political science instructor at ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus, has done policy work regarding tax revenues that will result from the legalization of marijuana. Although his work was more focused on the financial benefits of marijuana legalization, Wells thinks the biggest benefit would be in reducing prison populations for simple charges like possession. 

"There's still a lot of people in our prisons connected with drugs, including marijuana," Wells said. "The decriminalization of marijuana I think is a step in terms in moving away from a mass-incarceration society."

To get on the ballot, the petition needed 150,642 signatures by July of 2016. In mid-January, they had collected the signatures of over 140,000 registered voters. By June of this year, they had 258,582 signatures; more than enough to put the measure on the ballot.

If the proposition passes in November, it will be legal to set up dispensaries and sell marijuana. Proposition 205 creates a new department within the state government, the Department of Marijuana Licenses and Control, which according to the initiative, would regulate the "cultivation, manufacturing, testing, transportation and sale of marijuana; and provides local governments with the authority to regulate and limit marijuana businesses."

That last bit is an important addendum to the language. To put it plainly, "provides local governments with the authority..." means that if an individual town or city chooses not to allow dispensaries to open up within their limits, they're not obligated to. However, it still wouldn't be a crime to possess marijuana in those cities.

The bill also creates a tax of 15 percent applied to the sale of all forms of marijuana, from buds to brownies. This tax is great because the state can finally start earning money on the sale of marijuana that had already been happening illegally. I mean, it's not like the neighborhood dealer lists all of his income from marijuana sales on his Arizona tax form.

Wells has estimated as much as $64 million in tax revenue that could be seen from Proposition 205, saying that the work he did was completed in 2015, and that that number might be a low estimation. He also explained where the $64 million a year would go: "It would split in three places, 25 1/2 (million) to K-12, 25 1/2 to all-day kindergarten, and 13 million to the Department of Health Services."

While Wells is quick to point out that the money the schools are estimated to receive won't be a game-changing amount of funding—Arizona schools are woefully underfunded—the proposition will still provide yearly income that schools didn't have before. 

That funding is made up of millions of dollars that currently flood into the black market of underground marijuana sales that the state doesn't see a dime of.

If Arizona and California vote to legalize the recreational usage of marijuana in November, then the entire West Coast would have legalized it fully. This could have far-reaching implications on federal marijuana policy, and the Democratic nominee for president, Hillary Clinton, has already said she'll reschedule marijuana if elected.

The rescheduling of marijuana would be massive, and would finally mean that the federal government won't consider marijuana more dangerous than cocaine and meth. Whether you agree with using it or not, no one should have their lives ruined for carrying an eighth of an ounce of plant matter that's less harmful than alcohol. 

The fight to legalize and reschedule marijuana has been a long, uphill battle. This November, Arizona has a chance to join the fight. Show up to the polls and vote "Yes" on Proposition 205.


Reach the columnist at cjwood3@asu.edu or follow @chriswood_311 on Twitter.

Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.

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