Arizonans could reject “recreational marijuana” on the ballot this November, according to a poll released on this week by a group that opposes the measure. Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, led by Seth Leibsohn and Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk, commissioned the poll from Data Orbital, a company run by…
Arizona has marijuana on the brain — and no wonder: The state has one of the country’s biggest medical-marijuana programs, it may approve an adult-use legalization initiative at the ballot in November, and it shares a border with one of the world’s biggest producers of cannabis. Here’s a roundup of…
The Arizona Department of Health Services continues to spend big bucks to keep serious diseases from being listed as qualifying ailments under the state’s medical-marijuana program. In its latest effort, the department has spent tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars — which comes from medical-marijuana patients — trying to…
An Arizona citizens’ initiative campaign to legalize marijuana announced today that it has reached 200,000 signatures — more than needed to make November’s ballot. But the campaign is shooting for far more than it needs, at least 225,000 signatures, in case some invalidated.. “Voters want to have their say on…
Arizona’s got marijuana on the brain — and no wonder: The state has one of the country’s biggest medical-marijuana programs, it has at least one potential adult-use legalization initiative likely to appear on November’s ballot, and it shares a border with one of the world’s biggest producers of cannabis. Here’s…
Backers of an Arizona marijuana-legalization initiative blasted pot-prohibitionist Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery for taking alcohol-industry cash. J.P. Holyoak and other representatives of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Arizona gave a news conference at Montgomery’s downtown Phoenix office, using an over-sized, symbolic refund check for $8,050 to…
It’s not just the warm temperatures and golf courses that lure new residents to Arizona. Cannabis users are relocating here because of our medical-marijuana laws, cheaper pot prices, and access to dispensaries, according to a real estate blog. In a study by Estately.com, Arizona ranked among the 10 best states for…
In a case of politics making strange bedfellows, Arizona’s top pot prohibitionists and supporters of a grassroots, pro-cannabis effort agree on a legalization bill p[robably will appear on November’s ballot. In fact, the hardcore stoners who support the spoiler group Arizonans for Mindful Regulation would spit up their dab hits…
New Times is seeking a hard-working journalist to serve as the publication’s pot coordinator. The ideal applicant for this 20-hour-a-week job is a skilled writer and reporter who can find interesting stories about the burgeoning marijuana industry and culture in metro Phoenix and Arizona. Organizational skills are important, since part…
An alternative Arizona marijuana-legalization campaign made up of passionate cannabis users is aiming sky-high with its permissive proposal, but would voters really go for it? Arizonans for Mindful Regulation, a grassroots organization that has a small army of volunteers but little money, is making a final push to make the…
Zoned Properties, a medical-marijuana real-estate company, is developing what it bills as the state’s first “medical-marijuana business park.” The Scottsdale-based company announced on March 17 that it had signed a deal to lease 25,000 square feet of space in a building near 52nd Street and University Drive in Tempe, with an…
Supporters of Arizonans for Mindful Regulation have fought the good fight, but chances look slim that their cannabis-legalization measure will make November’s ballot. Even if the group has gathered 100,000 signatures, it has to collect another 100,000 in five months to ensure a ballot spot. The enthusiastic volunteers and their…
As cannabis advocates debate whether a proposed Arizona legalization law allows counties or towns to ban home growing, attempts to regulate home cultivation of medical marijuana have failed. The inability of counties to control home cultivation by qualified medical-marijuana patients gives insight into how the planned legalization measure may work…
A New Times reporter must have been bribed to do extensive reporting on a marijuana-legalization initiative expected to be on the Arizona ballot in November, a pot advocate claims falsely in a trash-talking YouTube video. It’s another example of the nasty fight between legalization supporters over two competing initiatives that may grow…
Does a marijuana-legalization initiative expected to be on the ballot this November allow cities and towns to ban adults from growing their own marijuana? Under the initiative, adults 21 and older could grow up to six plants, with a 12-plant-per-household maximum. Ryan Hurley, a lawyer for the Campaign to Regulate…
Arizonans for Mindful Regulation, the lesser-known marijuana-legalization campaign staffed mainly by volunteers, has reportedly gathered nearly 100,000 signatures. While it’s still a long shot, the effort’s leader, Jason Medar, is rousing his troops for a big push over the next five months to double that number. And he’s still vowing…
Feel left out of the Arizona medical-marijuana business? The Arizona Department of Health Services just announced that it will begin taking applications for new dispensaries this summer. This is the first time the state will be reviewing new applications for dispensary operating certificates since a lottery was held in 2012…
Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk was the only one of four panelists at a Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce marijuana event who wouldn’t say if she’s ever used cannabis. The morning panel discussion, “Breakfast with a side of … Marijuana?” was hosted by the chamber for a group of about 75 of its…
An Arizona lawmaker’s proposal to stop dispensaries from moving out of their state-designated areas highlights the need for updated medical-marijuana program rules. The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act that voters approved in 2010 requires the state to adopt rules that govern what was then a fledgling program. Besides a few court-ordered…
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce is offering an anti-cannabis workshop next month with prohibitionist county attorneys Bill Montgomery and Sheila Polk to help “sound the alarm” on a proposed legalization initiative. The Chamber will offer the March 2, invite-only workshop to corporate legal advisers, human-resources professionals, risk managers, and compliance…
Arizona lawmakers have backed off a controversial plan to prohibit pregnant women from consuming medical marijuana — instead they want dispensaries to warn them of alleged pot risks. The original proposal, House Bill 2061, was replaced this week with a strike-all amendment that forms the basis for a new bill…
Tom Horne, John Huppenthal and two other Republican former Arizona Superintendents of Public Instruction came out strongly against marijuana legalization in a Sunday column that fails the take full account of the issues. Horne, Huppenthal, Jaime Molera and Lisa Graham Keegan claim in the op-ed published in the Arizona Republic that…
