Business leaders in Arizona watching rec-use marijuana issue grow

PHOENIX — Arizona business leaders are keeping a close eye on marijuana laws and the progress of a campaign to legalize the recreational use of the drug.

While the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry strongly opposes the legalization of recreational marijuana, they want businesses to be prepared in case voters decide to legalize the drug.

“We are anticipating that it is going to hit the ballot in November,” Garrick Taylor, senior vice president of government relations and communications at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said.

“Employers today need to be prepared for this eventuality.”

Bosses would have to consider how to keep marijuana away from work if the ballot measure is passed in Arizona.

“(Businesses) need to think about their workplace policies to ensure that they can maintain a drug-free workplace,” Taylor said.

There have already been several bills introduced at the state legislature in 2016 related to medical and recreational marijuana. Taylor said the chamber will be watching the progress of those bills as well.

“I would anticipate that employers’ interaction with substances in the work place, such as marijuana, is going to be another topic of discussion this legislative session,” he said.