A group of businesses has united to oppose the initiative being circulated to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
But it's not that members of the Arizona Cannabis Chamber of Commerce want to keep all adults from being able to use the drug. Its that they don't like some of the provisions — particularly one that would give the companies that already sell medical marijuana a virtual monopoly on the recreational market.
The members say they have nothing against allowing adults to buy marijuana.
"We're pro-adult-use," said Mason Cave with the Arizona Cannabis Chamber of Commerce. "We just think there's a better way to do it than what the initiative has proposed."
Cave told Capitol Media Services they take issue with the provision limiting the number of recreational marijuana retail licenses to about 130. Virtually all of those are reserved for companies, already licensed to sell medical marijuana.
"The biggest concern is the drug cartel-ish approach to basically holding all the opportunity and benefits of the adult-use to the current medical marijuana license holders," complained Cave.
A spokesperson for the initiative says the language is written to ensure that if voters approve it recreational marijuana sales will open in shops already regulated by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
