Arizona School Officials Endorse Marijuana Legalization Initiative 205

By The Daily Chronic on September 22, 2016News Favorite Article

Arizona School Officials Throw Support Behind Initiative to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, Want Voters to Know That Prop. 205 Will Raise Much-Needed Funding for K-12 Education

PHOENIX, AZSeveral Arizona school officials threw their support behind Prop. 205 on Thursday, highlighting the much-needed revenue that will be raised for K-12 education if voters approve the initiative to regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol.

The Yes on 205 campaign received endorsements from Arizona School Boards Association Immediate Past President Jesus Rubalcava, who currently serves as president of the Gila Bend Unified School District Governing Board; Sunnyside Unified School District Governing Board President Buck Crouch and Board Member Daniel Hernandez; Tolleson Union High School District Governing Board Vice President Devin Del Palacio; Tucson Unified School District Governing Board Member Kristel Ann Foster; Balsz School District Governing Board Member Channel Powe; and State Sen. Martin Quezada, who is a member of the Pendergast Elementary School District Governing Board.

Some of the officials are pointing to the success of a similar ballot measure that was approved by voters in Colorado in 2012, which is generating more annual revenue for the state than predicted and fulfilling the promise of raising $40 million per year for public school construction. Colorados regulated marijuana system brought in more than $135 million in calendar year 2015, and according to the Denver Post, it has produced nearly $106 million in revenue in just the first seven months of 2016.

Prop. 205 would generate more than $123 million in annual revenue for Arizona, including more than $55 million per year for the states school districts, according to a July analysis by the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee. Half of those school funds will be used for teacher compensation, construction, and maintenance, and the other half will be used to support full-day kindergarten programs. State officials sparked complaints from initiative proponents last month when they drafted ballot language for Prop. 205 that fails to mention tax revenue will be used to fund education.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol launched a statewide digital ad campaign this week to highlight the school funding component of Prop. 205. One ad,which can be viewedbelow, features a Mesa teacher, a Mesa mother of a special needs child, and a Gilbert grandmother, and it notes that, Raising money for schools isnt the only reason to regulate and tax marijuana, but its a good reason.

School officials supporting Prop. 205 also highlighted a report released in June by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that concluded the rate of teen marijuana use in the state has remained steady since marijuana became legal for adults. The report also found that rates of current and lifetime marijuana use among Colorado teens are consistent with national averages.

With our state ranked near the bottom in education ...