Arizona Cannabis Legalization Initiative Placed on November Ballot as Proposition 205
Arizona officials today announced that the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted enough valid signatures for their cannabis legalization initiative to be placed on the November ballot; it will appear as Proposition 205.
The group submitted 258,582 signatures at the end of June, far greater than than the 150,642 required to put the measure to a vote of the people this November, though it took until today for the state to verify that enough of the signatures were valid (from registered Arizona voters).
The proposed initiative would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis for those 21 and older, while establishing a system in which cannabis is legally regulated similarly to alcohol. A 15% tax would be placed on retail cannabis sales, with a majority of the revenue directed to Arizona schools and education programs.
Recently the Joint Legislative Budget Committee released a report estimating that passage of the initiative will generate approximately $82 million in annual tax revenue for the state, with more than $55 million dedicated to full-day kindergarten programs and general aid to K-12 schools.
According to polling released last year, 53% of those in Arizona support legalizing cannabis.