The Arizona Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has launched a statewide TV ad campaign in support of Proposition 205 which would legalize the recreational use of cannabis for everyone 21 and older. The ad, titled “Regulation Works,” can be viewed by clicking here (or by scrolling down to the bottom of this article).
“What can Arizona learn from Colorado?” the ad begins. “We can tightly regulate and tax the sale of marijuana.”
It then continues; “According to the Colorado state government, marijuana use among high school students has not increased since legalization,” the ad states. It shows a citation from a June editorial praising the results of the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, which had just been released by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and found “marijuana use among high school students has not increased and is roughly the same as the national average.”
“At the same time, Colorado is generating millions of new tax dollars for public schools,” the ad continues. It cites the Colorado Department of Revenue, which reports marijuana taxes raised $40 million for public school construction in FY 2015-2016, just as voters were promised.
“Here in Arizona, we finally have a choice,” the ad says, noting, “We can vote ‘yes’ on Prop. 205 and provide $55 million to our public schools every year.” The figure is drawn from an analysis of the initiative released in July by the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee.
“By using Colorado as a model, we are conveying to Arizona voters the benefits of regulating marijuana,” said J.P. Holyoak, Chair of the campaign behind Proposition 205. “This ad highlights that you can tightly regulate marijuana, generate tens of millions of dollars for education, and not increase teen use. Our opponents are running a campaign of fear, but the actual experience in Colorado demonstrates that the system works.”
Holoak continues; “This election poses a simple choice; Do we want marijuana controlled by cartels and criminals or do we want it sold through tightly regulated, tax-paying businesses? We think voters will agree that the smart choice is to regulate marijuana and vote Yes on Prop. 205.”