Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

The Republic | azcentral.com

Marijuana is legal for about 50%2C000 Arizonans%2C but only for medicinal purposes.

The Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona filed paperwork last week with elections officials.

The statement of organization will allow the group to start raising money to fund its effort.

Supporters of an effort to legalize recreational marijuana in 2016 have filed paperwork with state elections officials, allowing them to raise money to campaign for the citizens initiative.

The Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona initiative almost certainly will be modeled after the voter-approved marijuana program in Colorado. For about a year, Colorado has allowed adults 21 and older to use and possess up to an ounce of pot, which is purchased at one of the many marijuana shops that are allowed under the law.

Andrew Myers, who is affiliated with the initiative, said Monday the group will bring together a "diverse coalition" to help draft the initiative's language, adding that marijuana advocates are closely watching Colorado's program to determine what should be replicated in Arizona — and what should be avoided.

Voters passed Colorado's Amendment 64 in 22 with 55 percent of the vote, driven by a campaign that pitched marijuana as a less-harmful alternative to alcohol. The amendment attracted young and new voters while tapping into the electorate's libertarian streak.

Representatives of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for marijuana legalization and regulation, said it will pursue full legalization in Arizona in 2016 because of marijuana-legalization efforts are more successful during presidential elections, which draw more voters to the polls.

Marijuana is legal for about 50,000 Arizonans, but only for medicinal purposes. Patients must get recommendations from a physician and obtain a card from state health officials under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act approved by voters in 2010.

Any effort towards full legalization in Arizona is expected to be met with stiff opposition from law enforcement officials, and possibly medical-marijuana dispensary owners who have spent the past few years building their businesses around the medicinal model.