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Lawmaker hoping third time's the charm when it comes to marijuana bills

Posted: Jan 04, 2017 8:50 PM Updated: Jan 05, 2017 7:58 AM

An Arizona lawmaker is hoping the third time's the charm when it comes to a pair of marijuana bills he's pre-filed for the upcoming legislative session.

Rep. Mark Cardenas, D-Phoenix, is the sponsor of HB2002 and HB2003.

"House Bill 2002 is decriminalization. HB2003 is the regulation, taxation of adult use cannabis," Rep. Cardenas said.

Despite the defeat of Prop. 205 in November, which would have legalized recreational use of marijuana, Cardenas says this issue is not dead and that it will come up again.

"If it's going to happen, let's make a system that works for everyone," said Cardenas.

In his previous attempts, neither of the bills were even heard but he says there has been some progress.

"This year we've been talking about having a study committee study the future use and the future passage," he said.

HB2002 would reduce penalties for marijuana possession to a civil penalty or misdemeanor depending on the amount.

HB2003 would regulate and tax marijuana for those 21 and over.

Cardenas says even though Prop. 205 was unsuccessful, the vote was close and it's an issue lawmakers as a whole can no longer ignore.

"Many people, Republicans and Democrats alike at the Legislature, have seen this as inevitable. They finally see that the Legislature should start having those conversations," said Cardenas.

He is hopeful the new house leadership under House Speaker J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, will have a new attitude toward the bills.

Speaker Mesnard says Cardenas has talked with him about both bills.

He said the regulation and taxation bill seems moot given November's results.

"My read on it is there's a lot of risk going down the road of legalizing recreational marijuana even if you have good intentions of revenue to come in and the voters of this state were not willing to go down that road. I agreed with that decision and I feel like it's been put to bed at this point," Speaker Mesnard said.

When asked about the decriminalization bill he said he's, "willing to have conversations with anybody about the proper level of punishment for anything we say is illegal."

However, Mesnard says at this point he doesn't feel there is anything wrong with the current setup adding, "If he (Cardenas) can point to some data or some information that would make me look twice, certainly we want to have good public policy in place and certainly we can visit that issue."

Cardenas, meantime, is optimistic that his bills will at least get a hearing at the upcoming session which starts Monday, Jan. 9.?