Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

Since the 2012 election, national news coverage about marijuana has focused almost solely on the states of Colorado and Washington, creating the impression the country is moving toward legalization. But anti-marijuana forces actually won most of the contests in 2012 and in 2010, and lost only when outspent by large margins.

During the past decade, guided by Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, Arizona has achieved great success in advancing its stake in the biosciences, which is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy.

Last month, Lattie Coor, founder and chairman of the Center for the Future of Arizona, released their updated report, “The Arizona We Want 2.0”. This report is a summary of 10,000+ surveys and interviews of Arizona residents. The following chart in that report should send a wake-up call to Republican leadership at all levels across the state.

The proposed Obamacare Medicaid expansion is bad for taxpayers, bad for freedom and ultimately bad for Arizona’s health. The Supreme Court ruled that forcing the expansion of Medicaid is unconstitutional. In response, President Barack Obama has dangled the shiny object of federal funding in front of us. We shouldn’t be fooled into taking a bad deal.

Recently, the Kaiser Family Foundation issued a brief on “Implementing New Private Health Insurance Market Rules,” and it leave room for some interpretations.

My top priority from 1981-1985 was fighting the drug war.

Sometimes it takes extraordinary circumstances to get people to see ordinary truths. And that is the case with me.

Small businesses in Arizona employ 46 percent of the private-sector workforce. They are an important economic engine to the state, and to the nation. But the uncertainty in Washington makes it difficult for them to live up to the full potential that we all know small business can be. When I was voted CEO of the Arizona Small Business Association (ASBA), I made it a priority to engage our more than 11,000 member-companies to lead and educate them on a number of factors that are vitally important to their businesses, including the ever-changing policy and fiscal environment. But now I find myself at a loss for answers to questions about the future of the nation.

Today I urge our Legislature to expand Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) coverage for the working poor. There is no backup plan. This is it. It is neither a left issue nor a right issue. It is an Arizona issue.

There has been a lot of talk during the past few weeks about independent expenditure committees and their impacts. Specifically, there has been a lot of discussion about the direction and effectiveness of the Senate Republican Victory Fund.

The fact of the matter is there are two types of independent expenditures: IEs for “impact” and IEs for “appearance.” Think of it as work horses versus show ponies.

Arizona’s Medical Marijuana law is two years old. Patients have had the ability to get medical marijuana cards, giving them the legal protection they need. But the regulated dispensary portion of the program that was specifically called for in the law has been delayed due to numerous obstructions and legal challenges from state and local officials, primarily Republicans.