My friends, Arizona has decided to go green.
Proposition 203, also known as the Arizona Medical Marijuana Initiative, “protects […] patients from state prosecution for using limited amounts of marijuana on their doctor’s recommendation.”
It will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot after having successfully acquired the necessary amount of petition signatures.
Before Arizona residents support this proposition, they need to realize that they aren’t only voting for the right of terminally or seriously ill patients to use limited amounts of marijuana. If you vote for this statute, you are, in essence, indirectly voting to legalize marijuana.
Proposition 203 mirrors the current Californian laws regarding medical marijuana, and they allow almost anyone to get marijuana.
It’s not a secret. You find a pot-friendly doctor on the NORML Web site, drive a few hours to northern California to complain to him about your anxiety, get your prescription and then drive back down to the marijuana dispensary to pick up your lollipops.
The reason I bring this up is because, as we all know, medical marijuana propositions are kind of a joke.
Yes, they do serve a greater good in allowing these terminally and seriously ill patients to obtain this sense of relief, but it is also true that many not-so-serious and not-so-terminal ‘patients’ are going to obtain some of this relief as well, which I am OK with. But many people are not.
Regardless of your moral beliefs in this debate, everyone can agree that marijuana, like all illegal drugs, is a cash cow.
Andrew Myers, campaign manager of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project, said in an Arizona Republic article that he does not oppose taxation on the medical marijuana if the proposition passes. Unfortunately, he only estimates it to generate $1 million to $4 million per year, falling far short of what many people would consider a benefit to our economy.
On the other hand, Proposition 19 has been placed on California’s Nov. 2 ballot, a statute that will legalize and regulate the use of recreational marijuana for persons over the age of 21.
Towering well above the projected money that could be generated from Proposition 203, the California Legislature estimates the recreational marijuana market to rake in an astounding $14 billion annually and $1.3 billion in taxes, according to a study by the Board of Equalization.
That’s enough for most people to drop their previous morals on the ground and enter the business for themselves.
However, as we’ll discuss next week, it is imperative that we wear our values on our sleeves as we ride this roller coaster to its end. While I fully support the passing of this proposition, I realize the importance of making sure our residents support it for the correct reasons so as not to lead our future generations astray.
Reach Brian at brian.p.anderson@asu.edu
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