Cannabis in Arizona is illegal for recreational use. A 2016 ballot initiative to legalize recreational use failed with 48.7% of the vote. Medical use was legalized by way of Proposition 203 in 2010. An initiative passed in 1996 allowed doctors to prescribe cannabis, but the medical use provision was rendered ineffective due to conflict with federal law.
Medical use
Proposition 200 (1996)
In 1996, 65% of Arizona voters approved Proposition 200, a drug policy reform initiative that contained a provision allowing physicians to prescribe cannabis. The medical use provision was then essentially repealed by state legislators a few months later, but the change was rejected by voters in a 1998 veto referendum. Ultimately the medical use provision was ineffective, however, due to language that created significant conflict with federal law. Former U.S. Senator and Republican presidential nomineeBarry Goldwater was among the supporters of the initiative, serving as honorary chairman of the Proposition 200 campaign. The main sponsor in support of the initiative was University of Phoenix founder John Sperling.
Proposition 203 (2002)
Proposition 203 – a medical cannabis initiative that also sought to decriminalize recreational use – failed with 42.7% of the vote. Included in the initiative were requirements to: allow patients to possess up to 2 ounces of cannabis and grow 2 plants; establish a state-run system for the distribution of medical cannabis to patients; decriminalize up to 2 ounces of cannabis for any use ; and enact new sentencing reforms for non-violent drug offenses. Proposition 203 was opposed by the state's law enforcement community, both major party gubernatorial candidates, and drug czar John P. Walters who traveled to the state to campaign against the initiative.
Proposition 203 (2010)
Proposition 203, an initiative seeking to legalize the medical use of cannabis, was approved with 50.1% of the vote. The initiative allowed patients with a doctor's recommendation to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for treatment of certain qualifying conditions. It limited the number of dispensaries to 124 and specified that only patients who reside more than 25 miles from a dispensary could cultivate their own cannabis. Proposition 203 was approved despite opposition from Governor Jan Brewer, Attorney General Terry Goddard, all of the state's sheriffs and county prosecutors, and many other state politicians. In May 2011, Brewer and Attorney General Tom Horne filed a lawsuit in federal court questioning some of the initiative's provisions. The lawsuit sought a ruling on whether state employees involved in implementing certain provisions were subject to federal prosecution. Citing this uncertainty, the state also announced that it would suspend the issuance of licenses for medical cannabis dispensaries. The lawsuit was dismissed in January 2012; a federal judge found that the issue was not ripe as there was no indication that the federal government would prosecute Arizona officials for implementing the act. Brewer subsequently lifted the moratorium, allowing state officials to begin implementing the medical marijuana law. In May 2012, Brewer signed legislation that made illegal the possession of medical cannabis on college campuses. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled in May 2018 that the law was unconstitutional, however.
Recreational use
Proposition 205 (2016)
Proposition 205, an initiative to legalize the recreational use of cannabis, failed with 48.7% of the vote. The initiative would have allowed adults to possess up to an ounce of cannabis and cultivate up to six plants for personal use. It also required the establishment of a system for the commercial distribution and taxation of cannabis, with excess tax revenues dedicated to funding public schools and substance abuse programs. The campaign to defeat Proposition 205 raised more than $6 million, aided significantly by the fundraising efforts of Gov. Doug Ducey. Among the largest contributors to the opposition campaign were Discount Tire, Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sheldon Adelson, and Insys Therapeutics. The top contributors in support of the initiative were Marijuana Policy Project, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, and Drug Policy Alliance.
2020 efforts
The Arizona Dispensaries Association and Arizona Cannabis Chamber of Commerce began organizing in August 2019 for another ballot initiative. The Arizona Dispensaries Association filed a ballot initiative application on September 26, 2019, for the "Smart and Safe Act," seeking to obtain the necessary 237,645 signatures from registered Arizona voters by the July 2, 2020 deadline to get on the November 3, 2020 ballot. The Smart and Safe Arizona campaign ultimately submitted more than 420,000 signatures to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office. The Smart and Safe Act, if enacted, would legalize the adult recreational use of marijuana, specifically by allowing adults in Arizona to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, and by allowing each adult to have up to 6 marijuana plants at their home. It would direct the state Department of Health Services to set forth rules for retail marijuana sales by June 1, 2021, allow marijuana to be subject to state and local sales taxes like other retail items, and would impose an additional 16% excise tax on marijuana products, with the revenue being split between the state government agencies responsible for activities relating to the act, highways, community college districts, police departments, and fire departments. The initiative would provide that employers may still adopt "drug-free workplace" policies and restrict employees' and applicants' use of marijuana, and would provide that the initiative does not permit marijuana use in public spaces. The initiative would establish that the possession by an adult of more than an ounce, but less than 2.5 ounces, of marijuana, is a petty offense. The initiative would prohibit the sale of marijuana products that resemble a "human, animal, insect, fruit, toy or cartoon" and would set forth penalties for possession of marijuana by minors. The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry opposes the ballot initiative, contending that it would lead to "an uptick in workplace accidents and lower overall workplace productivity."
Advocacy
Former Maricopa County Attorney and current Arizona Supreme Court JusticeBill Montgomery has been a leading opponent of cannabis reform efforts in the state of Arizona. He has made a number of controversial comments on the subject, including telling a military veteran who spoke in support of legalization: "I have no respect for you... because you're an enemy." Montgomery has also engaged in a multi-year legal battle seeking to overturn the state's medical cannabis law that was approved by voters in 2010.
