By Ryan Randazzo | Arizona Republic
A ballot measure to legalize marijuana in Arizona would allow people 21 and older to have as much as an ounce of the drug, while letting the state decide some important decisions such as potency, according to details released Friday.
The backers have spent months consulting on the initiative and made a concerted effort to address concerns from public safety officials, municipalities and other groups likely to oppose the measure, said spokeswoman Stacy Pearson, senior vice president with Strategies 360 in Phoenix.
The result is a measure that would limit retail sites mostly to the existing medical-marijuana dispensary locations in Arizona, tax sales at 16% above regular sales taxes, leave much of the regulation to the Department of Health Services and direct new revenues mostly toward community colleges and public safety.