Bots Inc (BTZI)

[HeedTheChief]

The proverbial cat is out of the bag.
Marijuana decriminalization/legalization efforts continue to spread.

Marijuana Legalization, Decriminalization Bills Filed in Arizona
By Thomas H. Clarke | The Daily Chronic February 5, 2014

PHOENIX, AZ — Arizona state Rep. Ruben Gallegos (D), along with 12 co-sponsors, filed a bill this week to regulate and tax marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol.

The bill, House Bill 2558, allows adults 21 or older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and grow up to five marijuana plants.

The bill also establishes a system of cultivation and retail sales similar to Colorado’s retail marijuana industry, which opened for business this year.

Minor violations of the proposed law, including smoking in public, growing in public view, or being caught in possession while under the age of 21 would be civil violations punished by fines.

Meanwhile, another bill, House Bill 2474, would decriminalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, reducing the penalties from a possible felony to a $100 fine, similar to a traffic ticket.

The bill also reduces the penalty for possession over an ounce, up to two pounds, to a petty offense instead of a felony.

Currently, possession of any amount of marijuana, except by those residents authorized under the state’s medical marijuana program, is a felony offense punishable by up to two years in jail.

While both bills have significant support among Democratic lawmakers in the state, both chambers of the Arizona legislature are controlled by Republicans, which could hinder the progress of the bills.

If the Democratic lawmakers are unsuccessful in pushing these bills through the legislature, a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana is likely to be placed before voters in 2016.

A similar drive is currently underway for the November 2014 elections, but supporters are unlikely to gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in time, as the campaign lacks funding for signature gathering.

http://www.thedailychronic.net/2014/27515/marijuana-legalization-decriminalization-bills-filed-arizona/