Arizona MJ Activists Have More Than Enough Signatures To Put Legalization On Ballot, They Say

At a time when drug policy reform campaigns across the country are suspending efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic, marijuana activists in Arizona say they’ve already collected more than enough signatures to qualify a legalization measure for the state’s November ballot.

The Smart and Safe Arizona campaign to legalize cannabis for adult use said it has gathered more than 320,000 signatures—about 80,000 more than is required to make the ballot.

“We’re confident that we’re over the number that we need,” Campaign Manager Stacy Pearson told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview on Thursday, adding that while the state only verifies signatures after they’re submitted, internal validation by the campaign signals that they’re well ahead of where they need to be to qualify the measure.

In the meantime, the campaign is putting a pause on further signature collection, citing concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak.