Medical Marijuana Probably Will Be on Arizona Ballot in November

​The Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project announced today that it will submit more than enough signatures to the Secretary of State's Office to get an initiative that would legalize the use of medical marijuana on the November ballot here.

The initiative only requires 153,356 signatures to get on the ballot in Arizona, but the AMMPP says it will submit about 250,000 signatures to the state, which should ensure the initiative goes to the voting booth.

Once on the ballot, Arizona voters will need to approve the initiative -- something AMMPP campaign manager Andrew Myers tells New Times shouldn't be a problem.

"[Medical marijuana] is overwhelmingly supported in Arizona," he says. "In the past, voters have supported it, and polls show that about 65 percent of voters would support it this time."

Myers is referring to a similar initiative that was voted into law in 1996, but was never really enacted because some of the language wasn't in accordance with state law.

According to Myers, that shouldn't be a problem this time around.

"We have the benefit of experience now," he says.

Some of the problems that Myers says are now ironed out are the issue of how to tax the marijuana, certain regulations that dictate where the weed can be smoked, and the number of marijuana dispensaries -- which he says are several of the problems facing California's medical-marijuana program.

"Right now, in Los Angeles, there are more marijuana dispensaries than there are Starbucks," Myers says.

Under the guidelines of the new initiative, the number of dispensaries would be limited to about 120 statewide, and smokers would only be allowed to smoke in a private place, not at the dispensaries.

For more information on the initiative and the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project, click here.