With the 2018 election completed, the focus has already shifted to 2020 for many, including marijuana advocates hoping to see recreational pot on the next Arizona ballot.

“They’re ready, and they don’t want to go through the same mistakes we made in the past,” explains Mikel Weisser from the Arizona chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.

The Arizona Dispensaries Association is already hard at work on what could become the initiative of the 2020 ballot.

“From what I understand, the ADA has been battling over their internal drafting for months,” said Weisser.

Weisser also shared that previous failed attempts, like 2016’s Prop 205, was a result of branding.

Prior to the 2020 vote, expect to see a lot more of terms such as “Adult Use” and “Commercial” over “Recreational.”

“The idea is that ‘recreation’ sounds like a party, which sounds like reckless, and so it creates a negative stigma,” Weisser explained.

He also anticipates that select provisions will be included in the new initiative, such as home cultivation, reforming DUI laws and also funding. Weisser and others hope to see a portion of the sales profits to benefit law enforcement.

No matter how the sales revenue is allocated, there is a strong belief that there would be enough votes to pass the proposition on the 2020 ballot.

“The ADA has spent the last two years doing consistent polling to find out what works and what doesn’t work with the Arizona voter.”

It is expected that the ADA will have completed the drafting of their ballot measure in January. Prior to it being made public, people will have a chance to voice their opinions on the topic, possibly in March.

The measure did not make the 2018 ballot as a result of a failure to obtain enough signatures. In 2016, Prop 205 failed by fewer than three percentage points.