Arizona Medical Marijuana Expansion Initiative (2018)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
- Early voting: Oct. 10 - Nov. 2
- Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID
- Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
| Arizona Medical Marijuana Expansion Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic Marijuana | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Arizona Medical Marijuana Expansion Initiative was not on the ballot in Arizona as an initiated state statute on November 6, 2018.
The measure would have increased the number of qualifying patient conditions to receive medical marijuana, increased the number of medical marijuana dispensaries from one per 10 pharmacies to four per 10 pharmacies, mandated that records signifying a qualifying medical condition are valid for 24 months, reduced the application fee cap for a medical marijuana card from $150 to $10, allowed people who live more than one mile from a dispensary to grow their own medical marijuana, and authorized patients with out-of-state medical marijuana cards to purchase medical marijuana in Arizona.[1]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the initiative is available here.
Background
Medical marijuana
Arizonans approved Proposition 200, a measure designed to allow doctors to prescribe marijuana and other Schedule I drugs to treat patients, in 1996. Lawmakers in the Arizona Legislature passed a bill the following year requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve medical marijuana before doctors could prescribe the drug. Sam Vagenas, a backer of Proposition 200, contended, "There's no doubt they're gutting the will of the people." The Bill Clinton administration's Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Barry McCaffrey lauded the legislature's move, saying, "The Legislature of Arizona has taken a very responsible course of action."[2]
Voters rejected a referendum, titled Proposition 300, on the bill to require the FDA to approve marijuana and other drugs before doctors could prescribe the drugs. As voters rejected the referendum, they effectively voted to uphold the section of Proposition 200 allowing doctors to prescribe Schedule I drugs.
Proponents of Proposition 200 were involved in crafting Proposition 105 in 1998. Although Proposition 105 had nothing to do with medical marijuana, proponents saw the initiative as a means to decreasing legislative alteration with marijuana initiatives in the future. Supporters did not want a repeat of what the legislature did to Proposition 200.[3] The measure was approved, and it required a three-fourths vote in the legislature to amend an approved initiative.
In 2010, proponents of medical marijuana celebrated a narrow victory in Proposition 203. The Arizona Republic reported that every year between Proposition 203's approval and 2016, the Arizona Legislature attempted to limit access to medical marijuana.[4]
Developments in federal marijuana policy
- See also: Federal policy on marijuana, 2017-2018
Although the Department of Justice under Presidents Trump (R) and Obama (D) has not prosecuted most individuals and businesses following state and local marijuana laws as of January 2018, both medical and recreational marijuana are illegal under federal law. In November 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions (R)—a Trump nominee—told Congress that the policy of his office would stay fundamentally the same as that of the previous two attorneys general, Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. On January 4, 2018, however, Sessions rescinded the Cole Memo, a 2013 directive that deprioritized the enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states where marijuana had been legalized. This allows federal prosecutors to decide whether or not to enforce federal law regarding marijuana.[5][6]
Path to the ballot
The initiative was filed on November 17, 2016, by the Arizona Marijuana Patient Society. Supporters of the initiative were required to collect 150,642 valid signatures by July 5, 2018.[7] No signatures were filed.
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Arizona heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in Arizona.
- Republicans held five of the nine U.S. House seats in Arizona.
State executives
- As of September 2018, Republicans held 7 of 11 state executive positions. The remaining four positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of Arizona was Republican Doug Ducey. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled both chambers of the Arizona State Legislature. They had a 35-25 majority in the state House and a 17-13 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- Arizona was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party controlled the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate.
2018 elections
- See also: Arizona elections, 2018
Arizona held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- One U.S. Senate seats
- Nine U.S. House seats
- Governor
- Seven lower state executive positions
- 30 state Senate seats
- 60 state House seats
Demographics
| Demographic data for Arizona | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 6,817,565 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 113,594 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 78.4% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 4.2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 4.4% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 30.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $50,255 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 21.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Arizona. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
As of July 2016, Arizona's three largest cities were Phoenix (pop. est. 1,626,078), Tucson (pop. est. 535,677), and Mesa (pop. est. 496,401).[8][9]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Arizona from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Arizona Secretary of State.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Arizona every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), Arizona 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 |  Donald Trump |
48.7% |  Hillary Clinton |
45.1% | 3.6% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
53.7% | Barack Obama |
44.6% | 9.1% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
53.6% | Barack Obama |
45.1% | 7.5% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
54.9% | John Kerry |
44.4% | 10.5% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
51.0% | Al Gore |
44.5% | 5.5% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Arizona from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), Arizona 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | John McCain |
53.7% | Ann Kirkpatrick |
40.7% | 13.0% |
| 2012 | Jeff Flake |
49.2% | Richard Carmona |
46.2% | 3.0% |
| 2010 | John McCain |
58.9% | Rodney Glassman |
34.7% | 24.2% |
| 2006 | Jon Kyl |
53.3% | Jim Pederson |
43.5% | 9.8% |
| 2004 | John McCain |
76.7% | Stuart Starky |
20.6% | 56.1% |
| 2002 | Jon Kyl |
79.3% |  William Toel (I) |
7.8% | 7.8% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Arizona.
| Election results (Governor), Arizona 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | Doug Ducey |
53.4% | Fred DuVal |
41.6% | 11.8% |
| 2010 | Jan Brewer |
54.3% | Terry Goddard |
42.4% | 12.1% |
| 2006 | Janet Napolitano |
62.6% | Len Munsil |
35.4% | 27.2% |
| 2002 | Janet Napolitano |
46.2% | Matt Salmon |
45.2% | 1.0%' |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Arizona in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, Arizona 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 5 |
55.5% | 4 |
44.4% | R+1 |
| 2014 | 5 |
55.5% | 4 |
44.4% | R+1 |
| 2012 | 4 |
44.4% | 5 |
55.5% | D+1 |
| 2010 | 5 |
62.5% | 3 |
37.5% | R+2 |
| 2008 | 3 |
37.5% | 5 |
62.5% | D+2 |
| 2006 | 4 |
50% | 4 |
50% | Even |
| 2004 | 6 |
75% | 2 |
25% | R+4 |
| 2002 | 6 |
75% | 2 |
25% | R+4 |
| 2000 | 5 |
83.3% | 1 |
16.6% | R+4 |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Arizona Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Initiative," accessed November 20, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Arizona Bill Guts Legalized Drug Initiative," April 16, 1997
- ↑ Tucson Weekly, "Lots of Initiatives," October 15, 1998
- ↑ The Arizona Republic, "Arizona lawmakers seek to curb access to medical marijuana," January 14, 2016
- ↑ Forbes, "Sessions: Obama Marijuana Policy Remains In Effect," November 14, 2017
- ↑ The Hill, "Read: Attorney General Jeff Sessions's memo changing marijuana policy," January 4, 2018
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2018 Initiatives, Referendums & Recalls," accessed November 20, 2016
- ↑ Arizona Demographics, "Arizona Cities by Population," accessed August 30, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Arizona," accessed August 30, 2018
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