Arizona to vote on cannabis legalization in November

Arizona Secretary of State's Office certified the signatures collected to put the referendum to legalize cannabis in the state on the November ballot. Secretary Katie Hobbs announced that it would therefore be placed on the ballot for the next general election as Proposition 207.

The Secretary of State's Office has certified the signatures submitted by the Smart and Safe Arizona initiative. After review, the petition exceeded the minimum requirement with approximately 255,080 valid signatures and will be placed on the General Election ballot as Prop. 207. pic.twitter.com/E6nM4vkLgf

- Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) August 11, 2020

If passed, the bill would legalize cannabis possession and consumption for adults aged 21 and over, and allow them to grow up to six cannabis plants for personal use at home.

The Arizona Department of Health and Human Services would be responsible for adopting rules to regulate cannabis, including licensing retail stores, cultivation facilities and production facilities.

A 16% tax would be imposed on cannabis sales, with the revenue used first to fund cannabis regulation. The remaining revenues would be divided between the following departments:

• 33% for community college districts
• 31.4% for municipal police and fire departments and fire districts
• 25.4% for the national road user revenue fund
• 10% for the justice reinvestment fund
• 0.2 percent for the Arizona Attorney General's Office

The initiative would also give local governments the power to ban cannabis stores or cultivation sites, and give local control over regulatory elements such as zoning or licensing. Anyone convicted of cannabis-related crimes would be able to apply to have their criminal record expunged as of July 12, 2021.

6 others U.S. states may vote to legalize cannabis use next November.