History of Arizona Prop 203

Prop 203 was a ballot measure aimed at legalizing the use of medical marijuana in the state of Arizona.  In 2010, Prop 203 - also known as the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act - passed, and it officially went into effect in 2011.  

Prop 203 has quite a bit of history behind it, including being on the ballot in the State of Arizona on 3 separate occasions.  In November 1996, more than 65 percent of Arizona voters voted to pass what was then Proposition 200, which allowed doctors in Arizona to recommend medical marijuana for patients suffering from chronic pain, terminal illness and other serious medical conditions.  A similar initiative also received a majority of the vote two years later in 1998, but Proposition 200 and its companion proposition were dismissed due to a technical error in the wording of the laws themselves.

Four years later in 2002, yet a third initiative was presented also aimed at legalizing the use of medical marijuana by eligible patients. This initiative, however, couldn’t get past the planning stage and was ultimately overturned.

So, in theory, had it not been for poor planning and verbiage, it may have been possible to establish the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act 15 years ago. Nevertheless, while the first 3 efforts were not successful, the fourth attempt managed to accomplish what many patients across the state had been hoping for.

Prop 203 passed by a narrow, yet significant margin, in November 2010. The results were announced on November 14^th - and revealed that the proposition had passed by a margin of a few thousand votes - 50.13 percent in favor and 49.87 percent against.