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Prescott City Council Votes to Oppose Recreational Marijuana

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The Prescott City Council has approved a resolution opposing the legalization of recreational marijuana in the state. As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, the move comes as national and local groups are attempting to place legalization on the ballot.

The Prescott City Council voted 6 to 1 earlier this week to pass the resolution. According to The Daily Courier, that vote follows the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors and the Prescott Valley Town Council in approving similar measures.

Prescott officials were advised by Colorado law enforcement staff to resist legalization before it goes on the ballot. In Colorado this year, recreational marijuana use became legal. Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk said one in four high school seniors in Yavapai County had used marijuana in the past 30 days. She also said use of the drug by young people would increase if it’s legalized.

But, those claims were countered by Prescott Valley Councilman Steven Marshall as well as the only council member who voted against the resolution, Jean Wilcox. Both also said marijuana prohibition should be the domain of state and federal governments.

The Washington, D.C., based Marijuana Policy Project is attempting to place a recreational initiative on the Arizona ballot in 2016. The group Safer Arizona from Phoenix is also sponsoring a marijuana legalization initiative in the state. The group is currently attempting to collect more than 300,000 signatures.

Ryan Heinsius joined KNAU's newsroom as an executive producer in 2013 and became news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.
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