This April 21, 2011 photos shows marijuana growing in the home of two medical marijuana patients in Medford, Ore.(Photo: AP)
Three of Arizona’s top prosecutors are calling for support from political and civic leaders to oppose the legalization of marijuana for recreational use.
Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery are demanding that state leaders “stand on the side of decreasing drug use among youth,” a statement from the Maricopa County Attorney’s office said Thursday.
Representatives of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for marijuana legalization and regulation, filed paperwork in September to begin raising funds in Arizona to push for a ballot measure in 2016.
Marijuana Policy Project funded support measures for the passing of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act in 2010, which prosecutors say has increased the access to marijuana for underage, illegal users.
RELATED: Marijuana advocates kick off 2016 initiative
Prosecutors point to the 2013 Arizona Youth Survey, which indicated more students have accessed marijuana from medical marijuana cardholders than they did in 2012.
“One in six Arizona high school 12th graders now obtains their illicit marijuana from a cardholder, a jump of 18.8 (percent) from the last survey in 2012,” the prosecutors’ statement said.
The Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona modeled the initiative off of the Colorado’s voter approved program that allows adults 21 and older to use and possess up to an ounce of the drug.
Voters passed Colorado’s Amendment 64 in 22 with 55 percent of the vote, driven by a campaign that pitched marijuana as a less-harmful alternative to alcohol. The amendment attracted young and new voters while tapping into the electorate’s libertarian streak.
Project representatives have said they will pursue full legalization in Arizona in 2016 because marijuana-legalization efforts are more successful during presidential elections, which draw more voters to the polls.
Republic reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez contributed to this report.
Arizona prosecutors call for leader opposition to marijuana legalization
No comments:
Post a Comment