The Arizona Supreme Court [official website] on Wednesday rejected [press release] the final challenge to a voter initiated act to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. The challenge came from a group called the Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy [advocacy website] and was dismissed in a lower court [press release] after the judge found that the group did not have a right to sue. The Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol [advocacy website] group gathered 258,000 signatures in support of the initiative, and the Supreme Court judge agreed that the measure could be included on the Arizona ballot. Proposition 205 [text] will now be on the ballot in November, and if passed, the measure will allow adults 21 and older to carry up to one ounce of marijuana and consume it privately. Adults may also cultivate up to six marijuana plants in an enclosed space and possess the marijuana produced by the plants. The opposing groups are now campaigning for yes and no votes for the upcoming ballot.

In the US, the legal use and sale of marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes remains a controversial issue, with a number of states contemplating various legalization initiatives. In April Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed a bill [JURIST report] legalizing medical marijuana. In March the US Supreme Court declined to hear [JURIST report] a case brought by Nebraska and Oklahoma against Colorado, challenging its marijuana laws. In November 2014 voters in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, DC voted [JURIST report] to legalize recreational marijuana.