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In defiance of President Donald Trump, two prominent Arizona Republicans say they’re opposed to marijuana rescheduling and are keen on re-criminalizing adult-use cannabis sales.
Arizona is the third state, along with Massachusetts and Maine, where a voter initiative funded by a prominent anti-legalization group proposes eliminating adult-use sales.
Legal cannabis in Arizona is a billion-dollar market with 2024 sales, the most-recent data available, totaling $1.2 billion.
Will Arizona repeal adult-use marijuana sales?
As Tucson Weekly reported, the “Sensible Marijuana Policy Act for Arizona” would eliminate the adult-use industry but leave medical cannabis sales as-is. That’s similar to the proposals gathering signatures in Massachusetts and Maine.
Not yet cleared to begin gathering signatures, the measure’s sponsor is political consultant Sean Noble. He’s receiving funding from Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), the Weekly reported.
SAM, a dark-money nonprofit, is also backing the cannabis re-criminalization measures in Massachusetts and Maine.
In interviews with Marijuana Moment, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs and U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar signaled support for repealing adult-use sales and cast doubt on downgrading cannabis’ status under federal law.
Both are right-wing MAGA Republicans who have enjoyed the president’s endorsement.
Trump Republicans don’t like Trump’s pro-marijuana push
The undisputed leader of the Republican Party, Trump bucked members of his own party, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, when he issued the executive order Dec. 18 directing cannabis to be moved to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Substances Act.
Gosar backed the sales repeal bill, and told Marijuana Moment that he hopes to ask the president to reconsider marijuana rescheduling.
On top of that, Gosar claimed that an unruly cannabis industry has disobeyed the rules and “resisted every which way with the regulations.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi has yet to act on the executive order, which directed her to reclassify cannabis “in the most expeditious manner.”
Biggs, who told Marijuana Moment that he’s “inclined to support” the repeal bill, added that he opposes rescheduling because cannabis users are more likely to need welfare benefits.
Repealing adult-use sales in Arizona, which began in 2021, might be the biggest lift.
The repeal effort would need to collect nearly 256,000 signatures by July 2026 to qualify for the November 2026 ballot.
Massachusetts cannabis criminalization push survives fraud allegations
In Massachusetts, where SAM Action Inc. has contributed all of the $1.55 million in support, the repeal effort survived a recent challenge inspired by allegations of fraud.
On Jan. 22, the state Ballot Law Commission rejected a Boston attorney’s attempt to compel state elections officials to conduct an investigation.
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As reported by MJBizDaily and other outlets, Massachusetts voters claim that campaign workers deceived them into signing the petition.
Such behavior is First Amendment-protected activity, courts have ruled.
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