Sheila Polk, Yavapai County Attorney, wants to use more public funds to fight a planned cannabis legalization measure in Arizona.

A law-enforcement task force in Yavapai County cut a $50,000 check from RICO funds to a substance-abuse group dedicated to fighting marijuana legalization in Arizona, New Times has learned.

The deal between the Yavapai County-based Partners Against Narcotics Trafficking (PANT) task force and MATFORCE was made soon after the Marijuana Policy Project announced it would launch a 2016 legalization campaign in Arizona — and more public funding against legalization could be on the way.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich issued a legal opinion in May 2015 saying elected officials can use their offices and resources to educate the public about why they think marijuana should not be legalized in 2016.(Photo: David Wallace/The Republic)

Educating or politicking? ...

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich issued a legal opinion last week saying elected officials can use their offices and resources to educate the public about why they think marijuana should not be legalized in 2016.

Since last summer, enthusiasm surrounding marijuana's potential as a treatment for epilepsy has led to investors more than doubling their money in Insys Therapeutics (NASDAQ: INSY  ) .

Insys Therapeutics is one of the only publicly-traded companies pursuing the development of prescription drugs based on the chemical cannabinoids found in marijuana, but the reasons for owning shares in the company stretch far beyond its marijuana program.

Family propelled JP Holyoak into the weed business: his daughter, Reese, has a rare illness, and Holyoak believes in the power of medical marijuana.

He believes in it so much that his company, Arizona Natural Selections, operates two medical marijuana dispensaries that have served about 9,000 patients since opening last year. Holyoak, a financial adviser, has a big cannabis nursery in a warehouse on an industrial estate near Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. And he believes that recreational marijuana should be legalised – not through any enthusiasm for stoner culture, but because it is sound conservative policy.

Investing in the marijuana industry is a tricky thing. In most other industries, the main things to look for in an investment is if and when you will get a return on your investment, and how much. That is true of the marijuana industry as well, but investing in the marijuana industry also involves the added element of legality. There are many, many good ideas out there in the marijuana industry, but a lot of them involve operating in a legal gray area at best.

A planned 2016 ballot initiative would ask Arizona voters to legalize marijuana for recreational use and establish a network of licensed cannabis shops where sales of the drug would be taxed, in part, to fund education.(Photo: Nick Oza/The Republic)

First marijuana, then meth? ... At a lively debate last week on the proposed legalization of marijuana, an attorney who supports the 2016 ballot initiative told the audience the measure is the "first step" toward full legalization of drugs in Arizona.

PHOENIX — Arizonans could get to decide next year if they want to follow the lead of Colorado and Washington and let any adult buy and use marijuana.

An initiative drive launched Friday would treat marijuana like alcohol, which includes creating a state regulatory agency with its own police powers and a 15 percent tax.

The money would pay for the oversight and, according to backers, potentially raise between $60 million and $100 million, mostly for education, but with some for health care.

But they first have to get the issue on the 2016 ballot. That means gathering 150,642 valid signatures by July 7, 2016.

Indio leaders are looking into whether to allow medical marijuana dispensaries to open in the city.

Officials have created an ad hoc committee to research what role the city could play when it comes to permitting dispensaries and regulating sales.

The decision came after City Attorney Roxanne Diaz gave a presentation updating council members on other cities’ legal battles and pending state legislation.

“We need to fully understand all the issues related to medical marijuana facilities before the state passes any legislation, so that we may consider any city ordinance that might also address these facilities,” Mayor Lupe Ramos Watson said.

We know the end is coming, but pot prohibition is going to have to be undone state by state. Here are the ones least likely to jump on the bandwagon.

Marijuana prohibition in the US is dying, but it isn't going to vanish in one fell swoop. Even if Congress were to repeal federal pot prohibition, state laws criminalizing the plant and its users would still be in effect—at least in some states.

And it's probably a pretty safe bet that Congress isn’t going to act until a good number of states, maybe more than half, have already legalized it. That process is already underway and is likely to gather real momentum by the time election day 2016 is over.

Medical marijuana law modified

Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Friday that could make it a bit more difficult for some patients to get a recommendation for medical marijuana.

The law requires doctors who write most of the recommendations to document how they know the patient and their medical needs.

A 2010 voter-approved Arizona law allows anyone with certain medical conditions to get a doctor’s certification to obtain up to 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks.

At last count nearly 66,000 Arizonans had state-issued cards allowing them to make purchases from state-licensed marijuana dispensaries.