PHOENIX – The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol launched a statewide TV ad campaign Tuesday in support of Prop. 205. The ad, “Regulation Works,” viewable at http://bit.ly/2cDTASp, highlights some of the benefits of regulating and taxing marijuana and sets the record straight about the impact a similar ballot initiative has had in Colorado.
The ad begins by asking, “What can Arizona learn from Colorado?” It then answers, “We can tightly regulate and tax the sale of marijuana.”
“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 CRMLA Chair J.P. Holyoak. “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.
“This election poses a simple choice,” Holyoak said. “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.”
