Arizona’s ballot Proposition 207 passed with a wide margin in November 2020. Jokingly know as the “Pot Prop”, the measure legalized the possession and and use of marijuana for adults over the age of 21 as well as the growth of no more than 6 marijuana plants per residence. With the proposition having a large base of support, there has been quick movement into the legislative end of the bill and as of January 20th 2021, the Arizona Department of Health Services has received 79 business applications for the recreational sale of marijuana with 73 being approved and 6 currently pending. With 18 dispensaries in Phoenix alone receiving approved licenses, many locations opened sales on Friday the 22nd and are forecasted for a busy weekend.
“We’re ready,” Steve Cotrell with Curaleaf said. When speaking on the uptake of supplies he notes, “It’s a lot. I think we went from around 2,000 pounds (of marijuana) in a month to more than 7,000 pounds,”. Clearly, they’re expecting a big demand.
Despite the excitement around the decrease in regulations, the idea of marijuana use in Arizona still has its fair amount of critics. Specifically, Governor Doug Ducey has continued his stance against Marijuana use, opposing prop 205 in 2016 and 207 in 2020. In November to the press he stated, “In 2016, Arizona voters rejected legalizing recreational marijuana because it was a bad deal based on false promises. Today, the same is true with this new ballot measure.”
But many hope that the 16% tax on marijuana products, similar those imposed on alcohol and tobacco, will generate much needed revenue for the state as the Covid-19 pandemic has decreased income for local governments across the country.
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