The mayor of Colorado's second-largest city is urging Arizonans not to legalize recreational use of marijuana.
John Suthers contends voters in his state made a mistake in 2012 when they said any adult can buy and use marijuana for any reason. On Tuesday he came to Arizona to urge voters here to reject Proposition 205.
Suthers claims the law approved by voters there has had dire consequences, including increased teen use and more criminal activity. But he admits voters in his state want to keep their nearly four-year-old law.
“Do I think that the citizens of Colorado would repeal it tomorrow? Probably not,” he said.
But Suthers said that's because voters just don't understand.
“I know about the rate of adolescent use. They don't pay attention to those kinds of information for the most part. We know about the increased rate of deaths that a lot of citizens would not know about,” he said.
Suthers acknowledged, though, that teen use of marijuana in Colorado has not risen since recreational use became legal after the 2012 vote. But he said that's because the big increase came years before when Colorado legalized medical marijuana — laws similar to what Arizona already has.
He did suggest an alternative to legalizing recreational use of marijuana in Arizona, but it isn't going over well with prosecutors here.
Suthers said there may be a sentiment to changing existing Arizona law, which says that those who are not medical marijuana users can be charged with a felony if they're found with even a small amount of the drug.
“Well, what I'd recommend you did what Colorado did before legalization: They made possession of less than an ounce a petty offense. Do that in Arizona,” he said.
That proposal drew a decidedly negative reaction from Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, who heads up the effort against Prop 205. She said the goal is to decrease teen use, not remove deterrents.
And Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said keeping marijuana possession a felony lets prosecutors offer to wipe defendants' records clean if they complete treatment programs.
Montgomery said that with only a fine there is no such leverage.