Information from the Yellow Sheet Report
Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego is working on a bill to legalize recreational marijuana. Gallego says he hopes his colleagues will realize public opinion on the issue is changing rapidly and this is their chance to get in front of it, instead of simply being reactionary to a ballot initiative that seeks what his proposal would achieve.
“We can actually do this in a controlled and predictable legislative manner instead of letting this go to the ballot box,” he told the Yellow Sheet.
The Marijuana Policy Project, which spearheaded Arizona’s 2010 medical marijuana initiative, has already committed to running a legalization campaign in 2016. Gallego’s bill would permit residents over 21 to possess, consume and give away up to an ounce of marijuana, as well as grow up to five plants.
Gallego said the state’s current drug policy is a problem, especially in low-income and minority communities, such as his district, where people are locked up or lose jobs over the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
