Monday, Jul. 29, 2024
Has Arizona allocated a portion of tax revenue from recreational marijuana toward traffic safety enforcement operations?
When Arizona legalized recreational marijuana in 2020, the ballot measure dedicated about 25% of sales tax revenue to a fund for traffic enforcement and other highway operations, in addition to another 31% to public safety agencies, like municipal police and fire departments.
The tax revenue from medical marijuana, legalized previously through a different ballot measure, goes to a separate fund that covers the program's administrative costs and related agencies, such as county health departments. In 2020, a one-time $10 million payment from this fund was granted to the governor's office of highway safety for traffic enforcement programs, personnel and equipment.
Arizona received nearly $300 million in marijuana sales tax revenue in fiscal year 2024, on par with the year prior.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Arizona Legislature 36-2856. Smart and safe Arizona fund; disposition of monies; exemption
- Arizona Legislature 36-2863. Justice reinvestment fund; exemption; distribution; definition
- Arizona Legislature 28-6533. Arizona highway user revenue fund; reports
- Arizona Legislature 28-6538. Arizona highway user revenue fund distribution; remaining monies; highway fund distribution; contract authorization; plan requirements
- Arizona Legislature 36-2817. Medical marijuana fund; private donations; fund transfers; use of monies
- Arizona Department of Revenue, Office of Economic Research and Analysis Marijuana Tax Collection Arizona Collections/Distribution, by Jurisdiction Type
- Arizona Judicial Branch Timeline of Marijuana-Related Initiatives in Arizona
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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