Labs, Doctors Scrutinized Over Routine Screenings Doctors frequently order patients to take urine drug tests to safeguard against prescription pain-pill abuse. But federal investigators and Medicare say these routine tests, designed to ensure patients properly use opioid drugs, have led to questionable billing practices by some for-profit labs, doctors and addiction-treatment centers. Millennium Health, the nation's largest lab and one that has conducted widespread testing in Arizona, agreed to pay $256 million to the federal government in October to settle claims that it conducted unnecessary testing. [continues 2104 words]
Cannabis can and should be grown and distributed in a way that is safe for both consumers and communities, but prohibition keeps that commonsense option out of reach. Patients looking for their medical marijuana should not have to resort to the back alley! Now with recent research on the plant they are able to breed new plants that give less of a high and more of a medical value, especially helping our veterans and young people needing the very low side effects of their medicine! States that have effectively regulated cannabis have already taken billions of dollars out of the hands of criminals and put them in the hands of taxpaying licensees! Steve Stockwell Chino Valley [end]
The State Is Failing to Meet the Requirement to Allow New Medical Conditions The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act has provided safe legal access to medical cannabis to sick Arizonans since the passage of Prop 203 in November 2010. The program is regulated by the Arizona Department of Health Services. New conditions can be added to the program during open application periods twice a year, but the rules surrounding the process and the specific standards by which these conditions are approved or denied are largely left to the AZDHS administration. AZDHS has fought hard against all the petitions filed in the history of the program. Only PTSD, with the help of the Arizona Cannabis Nurses Association has been successfully added as a qualifying condition. AZCNA Attorney Ken Sobel appealed the AZDHS denial of PTSD and prevailed.In a huge victory for patient rights, this was special because is it is the first mental health condition to be approved for treatment under the AMMA. [continues 398 words]
For Arizonans who have spent their lives and careers seeking positive outcomes for our children's health, education and welfare, E.J. Montini's Dec. 17 column, "Marijuana initiative slyly spreads like weed," must have come as quite a shock. In arguing for an initiative to legalize marijuana, Montini's source came from a pro-marijuana lobbyist: broadcasting several errors of fact and logic. The lobbyist stated that those opposed to legalizing marijuana use one tool, "fear." Indeed there is a great deal to fear from making a dangerous drug like marijuana more available, but that fear is actually based on scientific and medical fact. [continues 532 words]
Arizona Pot Prohibitionist Seth Leibsohn Says He Won't Really Debate in Favor of Legalization Avriette A right-wing Sedona group advertises what promises to be the throwdown of the year: A debate on the merits of marijuana legalization between staunch pot prohibitionist Sheila Polk on one side and fellow anti-marijuana activist Seth Leibsohn on the other. Yes, you read that right: The group says Leibsohn will take a pro-legalization stance in the debate. Leibsohn, a conservative AM-radio talk-show host, is the chair of Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, a group formed to combat an adult-use legalization measure expected to be on the 2016 Arizona ballot. Yavapai County Attorney Polk is the group's vice chair. [continues 678 words]
Arizona is125,000 signatures closer to legalizing marijuana. It's going to happen. While the rest of us have concerned ourselves with presidential politics and terrorism (which sometimes seem indistinguishable) the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol in Arizona has quietly collected more than 125,000 initiative signatures, well on its way to getting the needed 150,000 valid signatures by July 7. "This is going even more quickly than we thought it would go," deputy campaign manager Carlos Alfaro told me. "We're looking forward to getting the signature process finished and get the campaign out there." [continues 413 words]
An Arizona State University student is asking an appeals court to overturn the law that makes it illegal for him to have physician-recommended medical marijuana in his dorm room. Andre Maestas, 20, an ASU junior and medical-marijuana cardholder, was arrested in 2014 and charged with a felony for having 0.6 grams of weed in his room on campus, roughly the equivalent of one joint. He is the first to challenge a 2012 statute banning medical marijuana on state university campuses, which the Legislature passed two years after Arizona voters approved a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana. [continues 1363 words]
As a retired police lieutenant, I can confidently say that Bill Montgomery fails to understand how civil forfeiture laws have played out in reality ( "Arizona won't seize your property unjustly"). Between 1997 and 2013, 87 percent of all assets seized were through civil forfeiture laws, meaning that nearly all instances occurred without requiring law enforcement to seek or obtain a conviction. Even the original architects of civil forfeiture laws said last year, "The program began with good intentions but now, having failed in both purpose and execution, it should be abolished." [continues 114 words]
Paul Avelar and Keith Diggs earn an "F" for grossly distorting Arizona's civil forfeiture laws with a self-serving, special interest "national report card." ("Arizona must end 'policing for profit,' " Our Turn, Thursday). Their critique conflates civil and criminal legal standards to make the preposterous claim that law enforcement can seize someone's property without due process and force a property owner to prove their innocence in order to get it back. If this were truly the case, courts would have struck down our forfeiture laws years ago. [continues 386 words]
The marijuana legalization movement in Arizona is relying on a specious study to make the case for recreational marijuana at the ballot next year. Their study says marijuana is 114 times safer than alcohol. Interestingly, it also says meth is ten times safer than alcohol, while heroin and cocaine are twice as safe. On that logic, why not make meth, heroin, and cocaine like alcohol, as well? Meanwhile, serious peer reviewed research regarding the effects of marijuana has been shown to increase high school drop outs, lower IQ, induce memory loss, and in some cases cause paranoia and psychosis especially among adolescents. [continues 404 words]
I disagree that legalization of recreational cannabis should wait until science provides a means to objectively measure cannabis impairment for driving (editorial, "Another unanswered question on pot"). Legalization and DUI enforcement are distinct issues. We have the problem of impaired drivers arising from use of various legal and illegal substances, whether or not recreational cannabis is legal. This public health and safety issue should be addressed through public awareness campaigns and enforcement, using the best evidence currently available. However, we have the disastrous societal effects of our futile efforts at prohibition only as long as we continue those efforts. [continues 87 words]
Now's the time to get involved in the cannabis social movement Many social movements have been taking hold in our nation recently. For example, same-sex marriage has moved from social acceptance to being fully legal. Cannabis law reform is a hot topic in politics and the media, as well as more and more states jumping onboard. Times are good, and there is much fulfilling work to be done on these and other humanitarian fronts. However, I am making a public call to action, asking for your participation in these movements. It isn't hard, there are events happening all the time. [continues 408 words]
How far down this rabbit hole does Arizona plan to go? Questions about driving while high on medical pot get curiouser and curiouser, even as some Arizonans push to legalize marijuana for recreational use. These are life-and-death questions because a stoned driver can be just as deadly as a drunken one. The men, women or children that stoner crashes into can wind up just as cold as the victims of drunk drivers. The difference is that we have set and measurable limits on how much alcohol a person can consume before he or she is considered legally too drunk to drive. [continues 467 words]
November is epilepsy awareness month and that is cause for celebration in the cannabis world because cannabis has been shown to be a safe, effective and far less toxic treatment option when compared to the usual allopathic anticonvulsants. This is accomplished through the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties found in the cannabinoids and terpenoids that are the major active components. These compounds help to turn down the music for many who suffer from epileptic conditions. With cannabis they are able to live fuller lives, without their development being interfered with by pills. [continues 477 words]
Five cartel lookouts huddled beneath thick desert brush one night last month. Suddenly, they realized they'd been spotted. The scouts, who are paid to study the movements of authorities and guide drug traffickers through the Arizona desert, dropped their heavy backpacks and bolted across rocky terrain near the quiet neighborhoods and golf courses south of Casa Grande. Using covert tactics, a border-crimes team stationed at a makeshift headquarters watched as the lookouts made their getaway. "They have night-vision capabilities and they're lightning fast," said Department of Public Safety Capt. Dave Nilson, who fielded constant radio traffic as he led the operation targeting traffickers in Vekol Valley. [continues 1878 words]
MMJ businesses to conduct business the normal way, except when it comes to keeping their cash in a bank Picture yourself as a humble small-business owner. You arrive at work one fine, crisp Tucson morning to a surprising letter from your bank. It says you have two weeks to get any and all the assets out of your account before they freeze it indefinitely. The rent on your office is due next week, and Friday is payday for your employees, and Tucson Electrical Power is wondering when they are going to get their check for last month's energy usage. The bank offers no explanation of why your account was closed. [continues 823 words]
With so much misinformation circulating regarding the legalization of pot use by advocacy groups, it was good to see some actual facts about the real harmful consequences of condoning the use of marijuana by adults and teenagers in Colorado. The myth that the black market would somehow disappear with legalization was quickly put to rest, as "legalization in Colorado has created a magnet for it as legality and availability drive sales and consumption." Now the entrenched drug cartels have to compete with local growers, leading only to increased violence and addiction. [continues 74 words]
I see the Seth Leibshon and Sheila Polk dog-and-pony show got more publicity. They never give the whole story, only those parts that will work for their stilted views. For instance, one of the big reasons Ohio voted against legalization of marijuana was the bill would have created a marijuana monopoly, allowing only 10 privately run marijuana farms in the entire state. Can you imagine the millions those would-be farmers stood to make? Of course, there would be some problems with children and teenagers, just as there are with alcohol, cigarettes and now the vapes. However, what is less than honest about these two zealots is they want you to believe these problems would be happening to every other kid. Not so. Check the facts. William Cochran Phoenix [end]
Sheila Polk and Seth Leibsohn attacked Colorado's legal, regulated marijuana program because they found evidence that there is still some black-market activity in that state ("Pot failed in Colorado. Why bring it here?"). No program, including the failed War on Drugs, will eliminate all black-market activity. Although hard liquor has been regulated for over 80 years, there are still people making moonshine, but they are now just a fraction of the number of criminals who produced oceans of booze during prohibition. The Colorado experience has been a positive windfall for their state and a pioneer for Arizona. - - Bob Fern, Show Low [end]
Sheila Polk, the Yavapai County attorney, is perhaps the most high-profile person standing against efforts to legalize marijuana in Arizona. Her organization, Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, boasts support of dozens of municipal leaders across the state. But looming developments to our south and west could render pointless their crusade to stop Arizona going the way of Colorado, Oregon and Washington -- states that have already legalized recreational pot. Our two biggest neighbors - Mexico and California - are standing on the cusp of monumental change that could powerfully pull the state of Arizona in its wake. [continues 541 words]
Our Turn: Pot failed in Colorado. Why bring it here? Our Turn: Promises about legalized marijuana have not come to pass in Colorado. Why would Arizona follow suit? As Arizonans prepare for a public debate on legalizing marijuana, we encourage a close look at Colorado - the first state to fully legalize recreational use and sale of marijuana - and Ohio, the most recent state to defeat it. Ohio - a key bellwether state - defeated legalized marijuana this week by a margin of 28 points. What Ohio made clear is that when the facts about today's more potent and dangerous marijuana are aptly communicated and exposed, there are no good reasons left to make it both legal and more widely available - and it loses. [continues 477 words]
There is a flip side to the benefits of chronic pot use, whether it is for alleviating pain or simply for the pleasures of getting high. That other story can be described in two words: Tyrann Mathieu Former National Football League players lined up supporting legalized medical marijuana at the Southwest Cannabis Convention in Phoenix this week, which isn't exactly surprising. A lot of football players smoke pot, regardless of league policies forbidding it. A widely circulated story from the online Bleacherreport.com last summer included numerous testimonials from former players who are convinced the drug helps alleviate the ever-present aches and pains that NFL players must live with. [continues 294 words]
Re: Peter B.Wilson's Monday letter in support of legalizing pot. Would you want your airline pilot on your next flight to be "merely high" on marijuana? Suppose you developed a brain tumor that was pressing on your optic nerve and needed surgery to remove it. Would you want your surgeon to be high on marijuana? Why not? "Hey, dude, sorry you can't see anymore. Slight slip of the knife. I smoked pot before operating on you. It's cool, though, right?" This needs to be better thought out than the difference between high and intoxicated. - - Kim Nofsinger Scottsdale [end]
During last week's Democratic debate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said the United States should model its social policies on Sweden, Norway and Denmark - countries that provide free health care, free college and paid family leave. But by saying he'd vote to legalize marijuana, Sanders made it much harder to convince Americans to adopt these programs. Swedish history shows why. In the 1970s, Sweden did what we're doing now: told police to ignore drug possession and only pursue serious crime. But drug abuse soared, so the country reversed course. Today, Sweden and its neighbors have some of the world's toughest drug laws, including tough marijuana laws. [continues 406 words]
Part 2: GOVERNMENT FUNDING, LACK OF RESTRICTIONS SLOW PROGRESS ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA RESEARCH Responding to questions about research spending, Mahmoud ElSohly, the director of NIDA's marijuana program, said that NIDA's job is to fund abuse and addiction research and that other NIH branches should be funding other kinds of research. "It's not that NIDA would take it upon itself to investigate the medical aspects of cannabis," ElSohly said. "It's not the charge of NIDA. It's the charge of other institutes within the NIH to investigate the use of cannabis." [continues 1090 words]
GOVERNMENT FUNDING, LACK OF RESTRICTIONS SLOW PROGRESS ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA RESEARCH Research on marijuana's potential for medicinal use has been hampered for years by federal restrictions, even though nearly half of the states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana in some form. An analysis by News21 shows that $1.1 billion of the $1.4 billion that the National Institute of Health spent on marijuana research from 2008 to 2014 went toward research on marijuana abuse and addiction. Only $297 million was spent on its effects on the brain and potential medical benefits for those suffering from conditions like chronic pain. [continues 755 words]
TUCSON - Heather McNeeley already had spent one birthday behind bars for using drugs, and she was looking at another 3.5 years in prison for possessing and trying to sell heroin in 2012. Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, however, gave McNeeley a chance to stay out of the pokey. McNeeley was allowed to enroll in the county's Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison (DTAP) program - the only one of its kind in Arizona. LaWall said DTAP, started in 2010 and funded mostly by federal grants, costs less than half of what it takes to send a non-violent drug offender to prison. LaWall, a prosecutor for nearly 40 years, added that the state could save millions of dollars if it shifted money to drug treatment instead of adding more private prison beds. [continues 1016 words]
While marijuana advocates look to legalize in Arizona, concerns remain about medical marijuana program By Jayson Chesler, Lex Talamo and Sean Logan Whether he's advocating for marijuana or gathering petitions for a ballot initiative, it's tough to miss Dave Wisniewski, chairman of Safer Arizona, a political action committee. His rigid 6-foot-4-inch stature makes him easy to notice. His giant "Marijuana is safer than alcohol" sign helps, too. Wisniewski said he uses medical marijuana to treat his back pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. He supported marijuana legalization well before his time in the military, but the conditions he developed while serving overseas in the Army showed him the drug's medical benefits compared to the four pharmaceutical drugs doctors prescribed him after his combat service. [continues 1679 words]
I agree with the headline of Joe Adam Diaz' Sunday letter: "Don't blame Mexico for our drug problem." However, it's not drug use that causes crime and corruption but rather the criminalization of drugs. How much crime and corruption do we have related to the drug caffeine? None. None whatsoever. If we were to criminalize products containing caffeine the situation would soon change. - - Kirk Muse, Mesa [end]
The United States consumes more illegal narcotics by far than any other nation in the world. This country sends billions of dollars to Mexico and other countries south of our border for narcotics. Drug cartels were necessary to manage the volume. It is simple supply and demand. Mexico gets blamed for the U.S. drug problem, but it's the insatiable and ever-increasing desire for dope in this country that keeps illegal drugs flowing north from Mexico. Nearly all guns used in Mexican drug wars originate in the United States. Some of those guns have been traced back to U.S. government agencies. Despite drug wars fought over the U.S. dope market, the murder rate in the United States far overshadows that of Mexico. Mexico is not to blame for the drug problem in the United States. There would be no drug cartels or drug traffic if not for the demand for dope from the United States. - - Joe Adam Diaz, Phoenix [end]
Kyle Catlin and His Attorney Say He Did Nothing Wrong, and Are Counting on Arizona's Medical Marijuana Law's Ambiguity to Prevent Him From Life in Prison The thought of possibly spending close to 100 years in prison terrifies Kyle Catlin. But he's mostly concerned about his mom. She's not in the best of health. If something were to happen to her, "I may not even be allowed to leave prison to go to my mom's funeral, and that's super fucked up," he says. "I'm probably not gonna see her, except for behind glass for the rest of my life. It hurts so much to think about that I try not to think about it and move on with my day." [continues 2254 words]
Judith Ray (Thursday letters) claims, "we all know that there is a serious drug problem in our schools with the legalization of medical marijuana," yet she does not cite any scientific studies to substantiate this myth. A study recently published in Lancet Psychiatry found "no hint of an increase (in teenage use) at all" in states that legalized medical marijuana. This study, by Dr. Deborah Hasin of Columbia University, was based on surveys of more than 1 million adolescents in 48 states. [continues 99 words]
I recently moved to Arizona from Denver, where I served as the metro Denver coordinator for The Salvation Army. While there, I witnessed the unintended consequences of legalized marijuana for which neither the city nor the state were prepared. Our organization provided an emergency shelter in downtown Denver. When I arrived three years ago the shelter was averaging 200 men per night. When I left in May, the shelter was averaging 600 per night and every shelter in the city was full to overflowing. [continues 93 words]
Marijuana is either a harmless recreational high or a valuable medicine. Or both. Or neither. We don't really know. But we are being asked to make major policy choices anyway. A proposal to add to the list of approved uses for medical marijuana includes eight new conditions, from arthritis and Autism to Tourette's syndrome and traumatic brain injury. Why stop there? Let's just say it's a tonic for whatever ails you. OK. Some people may benefit from medical marijuana, but official numbers on who uses it make me skeptical. [continues 478 words]
Schools superintendent Diane Douglas blasted an effort to legalize marijuana in Arizona in a statement to the Insider, saying the use of "drug money" to fund schools would be "evil and hypocritical." If approved by voters, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol would set up a system where consumers could openly buy marijuana. A tax on the cannabis would help fund K-12 education and, according to the campaign's estimates, could raise more than $40 million the first year for schools. [continues 117 words]
With a federal ban on marijuana, states are left to craft their own medical pot rules-whether they work or not After waiting in line for hours at a booth during a medical marijuana convention in San Francisco, Jeff Harrington needed only a two-minute consultation and a written recommendation to become a medical marijuana patient in California. He now can legally purchase and possess marijuana from any one of thousands of marijuana businesses in the state. Across the country in Connecticut, an established physician-patient relationship is required before patients are deemed qualified for medical marijuana, and only licensed pharmacists can own and operate dispensaries. [continues 961 words]
Regarding the Saturday letter asking marijuana advocates to "own their passion," I, for one, am absolutely willing to own it. I want marijuana legalized because I enjoy the feeling I get after I smoke it. I couldn't care less how much tax revenue it could potentially raise for schools, how much more money it would save in enforcement and incarceration costs, or even how much more rope or paper an acre of hemp yields versus an acre of trees. I just want to smoke a bowl in the privacy of my own home. [continues 73 words]
Advocates for legalizing recreational marijuana in Arizona say it could provide $40 million for education. Reaping $40 million in marijuana taxes sounds good until you consider all the costs. Extrapolating from a Rand Corporation study, Arizona spends $20 million each year for schizophrenia hospitalizations caused by marijuana. That comes out of the state budget. Then consider the cost of drugged driving arrests and injuries, increased need for drug treatment, and policing underage use. That $40 million gets eaten up fast and the state ends up in the red. Just like alcohol and tobacco, legal marijuana would drain state coffers. - - Prescott [end]
When I was 9 years old, a few older playmates from my fourth-through-sixth grade class started disappearing at lunchtime recesses. It took a long time before I found out what they were doing, somewhere off school grounds. They were smoking pot. This came to mind last week when proponents of Arizona's main marijuana-legalization effort pledged to provide $40 million per year in marijuana tax revenue for education if their initiative passes. Even though I'm an instinctive advocate of legalization, I agreed when Arizona's Republican Party chairman, Robert Graham, called the pro-legalization event a "pathetic display." What's pathetic is the suggestion that $40 million means anything significant to a state public school system that spends around $4.7 billion of state money every year. [continues 969 words]
The Arizona Republic's Friday editorial questioning marijuana-legalization proponents' claim that $40 million would go to schools may be correct. There are other factors that should be considered. In the same issue it was reported that DPS apprehend smugglers on I-17 and I-40 and recovered primarily marijuana. These smugglers are likely bound for an Arizona prison at an absurd expense. Additional expenses include the resources expended on the officer's time, the prosecutors and the courts. Avoiding these expenses would free up money for schools [continues 126 words]
Experts and Users Warn of the Risks of Casual Smoking. Elisabeth Davies smoked marijuana to escape. To ease anxiety. To decompress and forget about life's responsibilities. Davies started as a social smoker at 17. Years would go by, and she wouldn't smoke pot. "It made me feel better," said Davies, a life coach, counselor and author in Peoria. "It took away my anxiety and stress. It made my emotions more tolerable." But when her father died 10 years ago, her casual use became an addiction. She smoked every day after work to escape the grief. [continues 1457 words]
Thursday's Arizona Republic shares with us the latest smoke screen from the pro-legalized marijuana crowd. It includes the mandatory fake check made out to Arizona Schools and the catchy "Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol" label. Who would not support that all-American approach? It would be nice if those smoking their proposed legal product would be honest about what they want. This isn't about the schools or about comparisons to alcohol. This is about their specific desire to make something currently illegal legal. Period. [continues 66 words]
How not to launch a campaign: with a lie. Yet that's what one set of advocates for legalized marijuana did this week. They staged an elaborate event on the state Capitol lawn to claim that taxing marijuana sales would pump $40 million into education. They even had a massive check made out to "Arizona Schools" for that amount. (Here's hoping no one was puffing enough to try to deposit that thing.) The campaign's chairman, J.P. Holyoak, asserted that legalizing marijuana would be "for the benefit of education and public-health care." What bunk. That $40 million figure is pulled out of thin air. It is belied by the experience of states that jumped into this ill-begotten experiment. The Colorado initiative that legalized pot, for instance, promises the first $40 million each year will help pay for school construction. The tax generated $13.3 million last year, and might - might - reach $20 million this year. [continues 175 words]
I need to get something straight before I make a rash decision. I can't be the only one who is confused by this issue! We're being asked to support the legalization of marijuana. And the sterling reason to do this would be to use the gazillions of dollars in revenue from taxes to fund our education system. So far so good! But I think I'm missing something here. Any scientist worth his salt (who is not smoking marijuana) will tell you that marijuana causes loss and or damage to brain cells. [continues 69 words]
Most Native American tribes are opting not to legalize marijuana, though at least two are poised to try it just six months after a U.J. Justice Department memo indicated federal authorities likely would not interfere with growing marijuana on tribal lands if other federal crimes were not committed. Many tribes exploring their options said that as U.S. citizens and sovereign nations, they deserve the right to choose to legalize as states have done. However, tribes continue to balk at the vague language of the Justice Department's so-called "Cole Memorandum" and the fear of federal prosecution. [continues 636 words]
Group: Initiative Would Help Underfunded Schools Legalizing and taxing marijuana could raise an additional $40 million a year for education, according to estimates by the campaign to legalize the drug in Arizona. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which is gathering signatures to qualify for the 2016 ballot, would establish a network of licensed cannabis shops where sales of the drug would be taxed. J.P. Holyoak, campaign chairman, said at a news conference at the state Capitol, "We have a choice: We can either tax and regulate marijuana for the benefit of education and public-health care, or we can keep it illegal for the benefit of illegal drug cartels." [continues 821 words]
Prominent liberals and libertarians have joined to advocate "sentencing reform," code words for reduced prison sentences for a variety of so-called nonviolent offenses such as drug dealing and quantity possession. This is naive or outright dishonest. Illicit drug peddling and consumption is a non-violent crime if you discount murders induced by drug rage or gang wars over drug-sales territory. It's non-violent if you ignore the many people permanently injured or killed by drug use, even those who have great resources. Do I hear Elvis Presley, Len Bias, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and her daughter, among many of our famous entertainers and athletes? [continues 376 words]
Radical public policy reform should not be based on a guess. But lately, the marijuana lobby has been telling Arizonans they should legalize marijuana "just like alcohol," trying to persuade Arizonans to radically reverse decades of policy in everything from health care to criminal justice to education policy. And it's all based on guesswork. Their pitch: legalization will save money and improve education. But Arizonans should not pass a law to find out what's in it. Supposedly, the initiative allows for limited amounts of marijuana for personal use. But what the initiative actually permits is possession of one ounce of marijuana and an additional 12 marijuana plants per household. [continues 482 words]
Four Reasons Why Law Enforcement Should Support Legalizing Law enforcement was designed to protect our communities, but marijuana prohibition=ADand the drug war as a whole=ADhas become an overbearing distraction towards the maintaining of public safety. Prohibition contributes to an overall decrease in public safety and misuse of valuable resources. Here's why law enforcement across the country and around the world are pushing for marijuana legalization: 1. MARIJUANA PROHIBITION FUNDS CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS Criminalizing a high-demand commodity only creates an illegal marketplace that generates wealth for individuals seeking to profit. If legalized, marijuana would create a legal marketplace and diminish illegal operations. Marijuana is often called the =93cash crop=94 by Mexican cartels, and legalizing medical marijuana access and recreational access in only a few states has already begun to weaken their cash flow. Nationwide marijuana legalization would devastate the enormous and lethal underground networks brought about by prohibition. [continues 278 words]
PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich says officials are not allowed to use public resources to campaign for or against ballot measures. The revised opinion issued Thursday replaces one issued in May but yanked after it was criticized. It said officials could "educate" the public about ballot measures but can't urge that people vote in a particular matter. The original opinion was requested by Maricopa and Yavapai County prosecutors who oppose a marijuana legalization proposal. Critics said officials might view the opinion as opening the door for them to seek to change the outcome of elections by influencing voters. The new opinion outlines a two-part legal test to determine if campaigning by public officials is allowed. It is designed to balance their free speech rights with bans electioneering using public money. [end]
Inside Arizona
