Arizona Groups Legislative Filing for Cannabis 2020

Four years ago, Arizona’s effort to legalize cannabis fell short by a slim margin. Now reformers are giving it another go.

Late Friday, a coalition of legalization activists released the long-awaited draft of a statewide legalization measure proposed for the November 2020 ballot. The Smart and Safe Arizona Act includes provisions for home growing, new language around impaired driving, and extensive programs for post-conviction relief and social justice. The measure also contains innovative ways to handle homegrown cannabis harvests and excess cannabis products kept for personal use.

The act was sponsored by the Arizona Dispensary Association and created in partnership with the Arizona chapter of the ACLU as well as Arizona NORML, the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), and the Drug Policy Alliance.

1 Ounce Limit, 16% Excise Tax

The proposed law contains the common provisions. Cannabis would be legal only for adults 21 and older. Possession would be limited to one ounce per person, with a further specification that no more than five grams could be in the form of cannabis concentrates. Retail cannabis products would be subject to a statewide 16% excise tax. The act further proposes that “the odor of marijuana or burnt marijuana does not constitute reasonable articulable suspicion of a crime.”

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