Pubdate: Wed, 19 Jun 2013
Source: Sun, The (Yuma, AZ)
Copyright: 2013 The Sun
Contact: http://www.yumasun.com/sections/opinion/submit-letters/
Website: http://www.yumasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1258

GROUP WANTS VOTERS TO LEGALIZE POT IN ARIZONA

The Safer Arizona Committee is hoping residents are ready to take the 
next step and legalize marijuana, but the group may be in for an uphill battle.

The group has filed the paperwork to start gathering signatures to 
put marijuana legalization on the 2014 ballot.

Their proposed constitutional amendment would allow possession of 
marijuana and the sale of it at retail outlets, while also altering 
drunken-driving laws, according to Capitol Media Services reports.

Currently, any motorist with any metabolite of marijuana in their 
blood can be charged with driving under the influence of marijuana, a 
law that the Safer Arizona Committee finds to be unfair. They note 
that marijuana components stay in an individual's blood stream long 
after the drug is used, which makes the testing unfair. They would 
require a video of field sobriety tests to support the charge that a 
person is under the influence.

Voters in Colorado and Washington have already made marijuana legal, 
and voters in Arizona have legalized medicinal marijuana.

However, in Arizona, without a medical marijuana license, it's a 
felony to possess any amount of marijuana, with penalties ranging 
from four months to nearly four years of incarceration, while those 
who are found guilty of trafficking or selling marijuana can face up 
to 12.5 years in prison, according to Norml.org, an organization 
dedicated to reforming marijuana laws nationwide.

Organizers of the effort to legalize marijuana in Arizona note that 
under their proposal, state and local governments would be able to 
regulate marijuana sales, with the state itself entitled to collect a 
15 percent tax on purchases, as well as state and local sales taxes, 
according to the report.

For a state that's struggling economically, sales of marijuana could 
potentially open up a viable revenue stream. And, legalizing 
marijuana - or decriminalizing small amounts of it - would ease the 
burdens on jails and prisons, and could also help in the smuggling 
war that happens each day along our border.

The question is though, is the state ready for such a move? The 
medical marijuana measure - while voter-approved - has been a tangle 
of red tape, with a variety of roadblock efforts by lawmakers. And, 
that measure was barely approved by voters - in fact, in 12 of 
Arizona's 15 counties, the measure was actually defeated, according 
to Capitol Media Services.

And ultimately, it still boils down to a bigger concern - marijuana 
is still considered an illegal drug by the federal government.

Is it time for federal officials to revisit the status of marijuana 
in the United States?
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom