Arizona becomes latest state to allow legal sale of recreational pot
Weed it and reap.
Arizona, the 15th state to legalize marijuana usage, began selling the herb for recreational use on Friday, The Associated Press reported.
The state health Service Department announced it had approved 86 licenses in nine of the state’s 15 counties after voters approved marijuana legalization measures last November.
Most of the licenses went to existing medical pot dispensaries.
Possession in the state became legal when the election results were certified on Nov. 30 and state prosecutors dropped thousands of marijuana possession cases after the measure was approved, noted The AP.
“It’s an exciting step for those that want to participate in that program,” said Arizona state health director Dr. Cara Christ.
Proposition 207 allows Arizona residents 21 and over to grow their own plants and possess up to one ounce of marijuana.
Ownership of between 1.01 to 2.5 ounces of pot carries a maximum $300 fine, noted The AP.
Pot-legalization approval comes four years after state voters narrowly defeated a similar proposal, although medical herb has been legal in the state since 2010.
The initiative was not supported by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and GOP leaders in the state Legislature, but 60% of state voters approved it during the last election.
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But times — and demographics — are shifting in Arizona. In a state that was dominated by longtime Republican senators Barry Goldwater and John McCain, both presidential election runners-up, Democrats Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly now represent Arizonans in D.C.
East Coast transplants and an increasing Latino population have also helped turn the state purple.
Voters in New Jersey, South Dakota and Montana also approved making possession of recreational marijuana legal last November, according to The AP.
