The recreational use of marijuana will be legalized in Arizona, if a national advocacy group can get voters behind the proposal. The same group that helped Arizona get medical marijuana passed announced a campaign Tuesday to get recreational pot on the 2016 ballot. The Washington DC-based Marijuana Policy Project is trying to get recreational pot legalized in Arizona and nine other states. The group helped Washington and Colorado recently pass similar measures.
Spokesman Morgan Fox said the ballot proposal in Arizona would be pretty simple.
“This would tax and regulate marijuana in a fashion similar to alcohol. It would not eliminate the medical program, but it would augment it so that adults age 21 and over would be able to possess up to an ounce of marijuana,” said Fox.
If it passes people could grow their own pot in Arizona too. There is already a different effort to get a recreational pot measure on next year’s statewide ballot. Fox said his group is also helping to get that passed, but he acknowledged that chances might be better for approval in the 2016 presidential election when voter turnout is expected to be higher.