Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

The Republic | azcentral.com

Arizona's medical marijuana program won by fewer than 5,000 votes

Prop. 205 would make recreational marijuana legal in Arizona

The chairman of the campaign to legalize marijuana in Arizona is acknowledging the issue could be decided by fewer than 4,000 votes.

The acknowledgment by the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol's J.P. Holyoak comes as the campaign received an infusion of $750,000 for Proposition 205, which would make it legal to carry, grow and use marijuana.

On Friday, the campaign reported receiving $350,000 from the Drug Policy Action, and another another $300,000 from "Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps," the California-based company that uses hemp and hemp oil in its products. The soap company had already donated $100,000 to the pro-campaign.

The last-minute cash arrived as early voting draws to a close, and as both campaigns say the outcome of Prop. 205 may not be known for days after the Nov. 8 election. Arizona is one of five states weighing marijuana legalization for recreational use.

The pro-campaign and the anti-campaign, Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, have been blitzing the airwaves with ads for weeks.

Prop. 205 would allow adults 21 and older to grow marijuana in their homes, and would establish a new state department to regulate the sale of weed throughout the state. Sales would be taxed at 15 percent and proceeds would pay for regulation, education and substance-abuse programs.

In a statement announcing the get-out-the-vote effort, Holyoak noted Arizona's medical-marijuana, approved by voters in 2010, narrowly won approval at the ballot box.

“Arizona’s medical marijuana law only won by about 4,000 votes, and this initiative could be decided by even fewer,” Holyoak said. “Just a couple thousand votes could decide whether marijuana possession becomes legal for adults or remains a felony that can land them in jail.”

The Yes on 205 is spending more than $3 million to push for legalization in Arizona, largely from the marijuana and marijuana-related industry. The Marijuana Policy Project and its related foundation are Prop. 205's primary funder, as well as owners of various medical-marijuana dispensaries and marijuana-related businesses. Medical marijuana dispensaries would get the first shot at recreational licenses.

The No on 205 campaign expects to spend around $6 million against the measure. That campaign is funded largely by companies and business groups who think legal marijuana could lead to less-productive employees, more impaired workers and drivers, and increased youth drug use. Major backers included Discount Tire founder Bruce Halle of Paradise Valley, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a Chandler pharmaceutical company that touts its “capability to develop pharmaceutical cannabinoids.”

Follow the reporter on Twitter and Facebook. Reach her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4712.