Superior Court Judge Rules Arizona’s Legalization Initiative Can Appear on November Ballot
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit today filed by opponents of Proposition 205, which would legalize cannabis for everyone 21 and older; the goal of the lawsuit was to keep the measure off the November ballot.
“We are pleased with the court’s ruling and that Arizona voters will be able to exercise their right to vote on Proposition 205,” says J.P. Holyoak, Chairman of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMLA). “This was a frivolous and politically motivated lawsuit. If these county prosecutors dislike this ballot measure, they should take their arguments to the voters, not to our overburdened court system. We hope they will accept the court’s ruling and return to waging legal battles against dangerous criminals rather than citizen initiatives.”
Proposition 205 qualified for the November ballot on August 10 when the Arizona Secretary of State officially certified the petition submitted by the CRMLA. Supporters collected more than a quarter of a million signatures in support of placing the measure on the ballot.
Proposition 205 would allow those 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of cannabis, and would establish a system of state-licensed cultivation centers and retail outlets.
“Roughly 84 years ago, it was the voters who put an end to the failed policy of alcohol prohibition in Arizona,” Holyoak says. “Today’s ruling confirmed they will have the opportunity to end an equally disastrous prohibition policy this November.”