If Arizona voters decide to legalize marijuana in two weeks, their choice of county attorney would play a role in how the new marijuana law would work.
Proposition 207 — the Smart and Safe Act — contains provisions that would allow adults 21 and older to legally possess up to an ounce of marijuana and five grams of cannabis, grow six pot plants, and buy pot safely in a retail store. Importantly for those who have fallen victim to the state’s felony pot-prohibition statutes, Prop 207 would also allow people to file motions to dismiss certain pending possession cases, and file petitions to expunge the records of past convictions.
Meantime, in Maricopa County, voters will be asked to choose between county attorney candidates Allister Adel, a Republican trying to keep her post after being appointed in October, and Julie Gunnigle, a Democrat and former prosecutor who’s fashioned herself as a progressive prosecutor.
Gunnigle has made marijuana law reform a key point in her campaign,…