By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez | The Arizona Republic
A national marijuana-advocacy group has announced that it will push to ask Arizona voters in 2016 if they want to legalize pot for adult recreational use.
A grass-roots effort, led by a Phoenix man, would ask voters to amend the state Constitution to allow people age 18 and older “to consume or possess limited amounts” of marijuana. But the local effort has largely been discounted by the political establishment because it lacks major financial backing.
But the announcement by the powerful Marijuana Policy Project has triggered a true debate about whether Arizona should join Colorado and Washington in legalizing the drug.
While many advocates of legalized marijuana are cheering the news, opponents are decrying it, saying legalization of pot would be a public-safety disaster. The Arizona Republic asked people on both sides of the debate — Phoenix Relief Center co-owner Gino Lucadamo and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery — to offer their opinions on whether marijuana should be legalized for recreational use in Arizona. Their responses have been edited for grammar and space.
If you’d like to discuss medical marijuana, contact Ryan Hurley, director of the Rose Law Group Medical Marijuana Dept. rhurley@roselawgroup.com
