Politics

Spark up! It’s legal to smoke weed in Arizona starting today

Published on November 30, 2020
cannabis-smoking
Starting today, it's legal to possess and enjoy cannabis in Arizona.

Congratulations, Arizona: It’s officially legal to possess and enjoy cannabis in your state, starting today.

You read that correctly. Right now. Immediately.

In most states, voting to legalize is followed by months of waiting, as statewide initiatives often don’t take effect until the following year. But in Arizona, Prop. 207 was written to take effect as soon as state officials certify the vote.

That certification happened earlier this morning.

Related
Arizona just legalized marijuana. Here’s what happens next

‘We do elections well in Arizona’

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs signed the official election results in Phoenix, alongside Gov. Doug Ducey and Attorney General Mark Brnovich. The election certification also locked in Joe Biden’s victory there—a critical win for the president-elect, and a now-infamous early call for Fox News.

Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, doubled down on the fair-and-square results in his state, pushing back against President Trump’s continuing campaign of false tweets and statements questioning the results of the nationwide vote.

“We do elections well here in Arizona,” said Ducey. “The system is strong and that’s why I bragged on it so much.”

When can you buy it?

Existing medical marijuana dispensaries will probably start opening to all adult customers in early 2021.

Prop 207 requires state officials to establish program regulations by April 5, 2021, at which point adult-use retail licenses must be handed out. They could, however, be handed out sooner.

For the full details about the new law, see Leafly’s Prop. 207 guide and our full page on Arizona marijuana laws.

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Don’t break the (new) law

Consumers note: It’s now legal to possess up to one ounce of cannabis flower, and no more than five grams of that total can be in the form of a marijuana concentrate.

Possessing between one and 2.5 ounces will be treated as a petty offense, and minors caught with less than one ounce could receive a $100 maximum fine and four hours of drug counseling.

Don’t consume in public! There are still strict laws prohibiting the public consumption of weed in Arizona. Keep it private and enjoy.

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Bruce Barcott
Bruce Barcott
Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, investigations, and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.
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