Marijuana legalization to be placed on the general election ballot in November

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - The Arizona Secretary of State’s office certified signatures for the marijuana legalization ballot measure.

Secretary Katie Hobbs announced it will now be placed on the general election ballot in November as Prop 207.

The Secretary of State's Office has certified the signatures submitted by the Smart and Safe Arizona initiative. After review, the petition exceeded the minimum requirement with approximately 255,080 valid signatures and will be placed on the General Election ballot as Prop. 207. pic.twitter.com/E6nM4vkLgf
— Secretary Katie Hobbs (@SecretaryHobbs) August 11, 2020

The initiative would legalize the possession and use of recreational marijuana for adults ages 21 years or older and allow those to grow no more than six marijuana plants for personal use in their home.

Arizona Department of Health and Human Services would be responsible for adopting rules to regulate marijuana use, including licensing of retail stores, cultivation facilities, and production facilities.

A 16 percent tax would be placed on marijuana sales and revenue would be used first to implement and enforce marijuana regulations.

The remaining revenue would be dispersed between the following departments:

33 percent for community college districts
31.4 percent for municipal police and fire departments and fire districts
25.4 percent for state’s highway user revenue fund
10 percent for justice reinvestment fund
0.2 percent for Arizona Attorney General to enforce

The initiative would also provide local governments with the power to ban marijuana facilities and testing centers and give local control over elements of regulation, zoning and licensing.

Anyone convicted of certain marijuana-related crimes could petition for the expungement of a criminal record starting on July 12, 2021.