Backers of a proposed 2016 ballot initiative to regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol estimate the measure would raise more than $40 million annually for education in Arizona.
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol sought publicity on Wednesday by presenting the state with a jumbo-sized check during a “back-to-school” news conference in front of the state capitol.
The proposed initiative would enact a 15% excise tax on marijuana sales from licensed retail stores to adults 21 years of age and older, which would be used to fund the implementation and enforcement of regulations. Of any additional tax revenue collected, 40% would be allocated to the Department of Education for school construction, maintenance, and operating costs, and 40% would be allocated to the Department of Education for full-day kindergarten programs.
While the group focus on revenue for schools, it avoided a discussion of what legalizing marijuana woud cost.
The revenue estimate is based on Colorado marijuana sales figures adjusted for differences in state population and marijuana consumption rates according to federal survey data. Total retail marijuana sales in Colorado exceeded $253 million in the first six months of 2015, generating approximately $16.6 million for public school construction, according to the state Department of Revenue.
The campaign must collect more than 150,000 valid signatures of registered Arizona voters to qualify for the November 2016 ballot. The campaign has collected about 60,000 total signatures since its petition drive launched in May.
In a New York Times article, After 5 Months of Sales, Colorado Sees the Downside of a Legal High, writer Jack Healy quotes Kevin A. Sabet, executive director of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Sabat said since legalization: “We’ve see lives damaged. We’ve seen deaths directly attributed to marijuana legalization. We’ve see marijuana slipping through Colorado’s borders. We’ve see marijuana getting into the hands of kids.”