Legalizing recreational marijuana and establishing a 15 percent tax on it could bring Arizona $113 million in new revenue, according to a study by the non-partisan group Tax Foundation. 

The Arizona study is based on sales per capita in Colorado and Washington—both states legalized weed four years ago.

The study says that if all 50 states enforce retail taxes on marijuana, the country could see a revenue of $5.3 billion if taxed at 15 percent, or as high as $8 billion if it's taxed at 25 percent, according to an article on The Arizona Republic.

In Arizona, a "mature" marijuana industry could raise $113 million every year if weed is taxed at 15 percent; $150 million if taxed at 20 percent; and $188 million if taxed at 25 percent, the study says, according to The Arizona Republic.

The study cautioned officials to not overestimate tax revenue from legalizing the drug, saying revenues started out slowly in Colorado and Washington as their legalization programs and regulatory systems took shape.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which is backed by the Washington D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, wants to legalize recreational use of weed for adults 21 and over, green light home cultivation of six plants per adult but a limit of 12 per household, allow possession of up to 1 ounce, as well as make available up to 160 licenses for weed retailers. This measure asks to enact a 15 percent tax on retail marijuana sale. The group proposes using the revenue to fund schools maintenance, operation, full-day kindergarten programs, as well as substance abuse awareness programs. (Get to know CRMLA's initiative here.) The campaign has gathered more than 200,000 signatures. 

The second contender, Arizonans for Mindful Regulation, also would legalize marijuana use, possession and cultivation for adults 21 and over. An adult would be allowed to posses 1 ounce of weed and no more than 5 grams in concentrated marijuana, such as oils. Also, an adult could grow 12 plants at home, without a limit on the amount of weed plants that can be cultivated per household, as long as it is under 99. The taxation is set at 10 percent. (Here's more info on their initiative.) Last time I spoke with the AZFMR guys at the end of March, they said they had gathered more than 100,000 signatures. 

Both initiatives need at least 150,642 signatures by July 7 to make the November ballot. 

Director Jodie Foster goes for a 1970s throwback vibe while approaching a modern financial subject in this valiant but messy effort starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

Clooney plays Lee Gates, host of Money Monster, a sensationalist financial program that features Gates dancing around the studio and making stock tips. Not all of Gates’ tips are winners, and he’s about to find out about the downside of bad advice. Kyle Budwell (Jack O’Connell) shows up on set as a delivery boy, but he doesn’t have pizzas.

He’s got an explosive vest for Gates to put on, and a gun that says “Don’t turn off the cameras, we are going to be here for a while!” Producer Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) has to keep the show rolling as her host is held hostage. Kyle lost a lot of dough on a Gates tip, and he’s here to tell us all how we are being suckered by “the Man.” What unfolds is woefully predictable, with Clooney and Roberts laboring to make it all entertaining despite its flatness and many clichés.

Obviously, the cold-hearted Gates will see not only the evil in companies he talks about on the air, but his own clumsiness. His heart will swell for his put-upon captor, and he will join him in solidarity against the evil corporate dictator Walt Camby (Dominic West), who stole Kyle’s money due to a “computer glitch.” O’Connell overacts, and the movie feels dated and worthless, on top of being self-important.

Look, we all love brunch and many in town look to one restaurant to satisfy all their boozy breakfast needs. So many, in fact, that getting a table at the well-loved Prep & Pastry on the weekends can sometimes be a challenge. For those looking to get a taste of P&P without the wait, get your ticket now to the restaurant’s special collaboration with Tucson Hop Shop (3230 N. Dodge Blvd.).

On Saturday, May 28 at 10 a.m., Prep & Pastry will be offering a five-course brunch at the beer bar and bottle shop, highlighting the beers of New Belgium Brewery. Dishes to be served include housemade cheddar-herb biscuits with duck fat and sausage gravy, a summery spinach salad with avocado and strawberry and maple bacon dossant (donut + croissant) bites. Local singer-songwriter Karima Walker will perform during the event. Guests will also have the chance to win Prep & Pastry gift certificates, New Belgium growlers and more.

The beer-paired brunch is limited to just 50 people with complementary and complimentary coffee provided by Presta Coffee Roasters. You can get a ticket, which are $45 per person, through the Tucson Hop Shop website. 

The first half of this Seth Rogen sequel is as funny and snappy as the first movie, but the movie loses its way a bit by the time credits roll. Still, if you are looking at laughs per dollar, Rogen and Zac Efron deliver your money’s worth.

The spin this time out has a sorority led by Shelby (Chloe Grace Moretz) moving in next door to the Radners (Rogen and Rose Byrne). Shelby is determined to party like a frat does, and this leads to a semi-depressed Teddy (Efron) coming on as a mentor. This restarts Teddy’s war with the Radners, which is bad timing because their house is in escrow. It’s during this stage when the film is at its nastiest best. When a booted Teddy joins forces with the Radners to destroy the sorority, things get a little misguided.

The film has some of the funniest dialogue of 2016 (“Sometimes you have to suck a bunch of dicks to find out you don’t like sucking dicks”), and I’m always down for Rogen. Byrne is an undervalued comic actress, and Moretz fits right into the stoner mode. Efron gets the biggest laughs in the movie, even when it starts to get a little too busy. A garage gag involving those ever-pesky airbags is killer funny, as is another visit with the Dean (Lisa Kudrow).

As sequels go, this isn’t a great one, but it’s a worthy installment. 

Sure, in March Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed two bills that would have killed restrictions to pump groundwater in Cochise and Yuma counties (The Arizona Republic reported at the time that if the bills would have become law, it would have enabled at housing developments to move forward without proving long-term water availability). Still, this year was a shitty one for the state Legislature in terms of protecting the environment and natural resources in Arizona, according to the Sierra Club's 2016 Environmental Report Card.

The Sierra Club gave Ducey a D+ for his lousy environmental advocacy. He was "graded" on 12 bills—there's one he signed that will limit a city's power to require energy benchmarking and another that prohibits cities from limiting the use of plastic bags. Also, he signed a bill to divert funding from habitat protection, and one that makes it harder for homeowners to install rooftop solar panels. 

“The Arizona Legislature is determined to allow harm to what makes Arizona special – unique and threatened rivers such as the San Pedro, endangered Mexican gray wolves, public lands around Grand Canyon,” said Sandy Bahr, Chapter Director for Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter. “Rather than taking advantage of our 300-plus days of sunshine and growing solar industry and the jobs its provides, legislators passed a bill to hinder installations and even considered proposed constitutional amendments that would have likely destroyed the rooftop solar industry in Arizona.”

“While our state faces more and more challenges relative to climate change, water quality and quantity, air quality, protection of wildlife and its habitat, transition to clean energy, and continued environmental inequity, the Arizona Legislature consistently seeks to take us backward by weakening state laws, limiting local government’s ability to protect resources, and objecting to and challenging important federal protections."

In the state Legislature, all but one Republican in the Senate and two in the House got failing grades. Five representatives received an A+, meaning they voted 100 percent pro-environment: from the Tucson area, Democratic Reps. Randall Friese, Matt Kopec and Stefanie Mach. Also, Reps. Debbie McCune Davis and Eric Meyer, both Democrats from the Phoenix area.

Davis was given special recognition as "Environmental Superstar Representative" for consistently voting in support of environmental protection. Davis is leaving the state Legislature at the end of the year.

It's Day 5 of the Ducey "Next Step" Watch, which began Friday when the governor declared that Prop 123 passed. Lots has happened on the school funding front since then, but not much of it has come from Ducey.

If you remember, when he was asked what he plans as a next step after the passage of Prop 123, Ducey dodged the question, saying, “We’re going to take the rest of the day off. We’re going to celebrate a little bit.” Now we have another quote from Ducey which gives us a bit more to go on.

"We're going to keep this coalition together, from the education community to the business community to the elected leadership in our state, and we're going to talk about how we continue to improve K-12 education."

Interesting. Let's start with what's not in Ducey's statement: the words "funding" or "money." People can read whatever we want into his assertion that we should "continue to improve K-12 education," but Ducey has made it clear from his first day as governor, he doesn't want to spend a penny more from the general fund if he can help it. He's pushed to lower school funding in the two state budgets since he was elected.

As for Ducey's "coalition," it was always more of a temporary, uneasy alliance than a genuine coalition. On one side of the alliance, Ducey and his Republican cronies think Prop 123 is great. It gives a little money to schools to deflect the growing voter consensus that we need to increase funding even if it means raising taxes, and most of the money comes from the children's state land trust fund rather than the state coffers. "Maybe that'll satisfy 'em so we can get back to budget cuts and tax breaks for our rich supporters." On the other side of the alliance, some supporters of public education reluctantly joined with Ducey to get a little money for our schools sooner rather than later, knowing it's unlikely Republicans will follow the court order to replace the school funding which was taken away illegally. They hate the fact that the money comes from the state land trust fund, but they held their nose and supported Prop 123 anyway.

On Day 5, it looks like Ducey's fraying coalition has been replaced by another coalition calling itself AZ Schools Now!, and it doesn't include Ducey and his buddies.

Hi, I'm Patchouli!

I'm a 10 year old little calico cat who needs a home. I look a little bit different with my crumpled ears and I have a little bobbed tail.

I love people and being snuggled, I practically beg for attention from anyone who walks by my kennel. I'm very affectionate and will make a great addition to a home with a family!

If you're looking for a sweet, unique kitty come over to PAWSH at La Encantada​ to meet me! Don't forget that because of my age you can expect a "senior" adoption fee, which is only $50!

Hope to see you soon!

Lots of love ,
Patchouli (823837)

Want to make sure your children eat health while school is out? Not to worry, school districts are offering free breakfast and lunch all summer long for kids 18 and under.
Meals are served in school site cafeterias or in designated eating areas for the non-school sites.

The Summer Food Service Program for Children is a federally funded program operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with locations across the nation. 

Participating in the program are Amphitheater, Sunnyside, Flowing Wells, Marana and Tucson Unified school districts. 

Already looking for ways to keep busy this summer? We're giving away a pair of tickets to two Wildcat Baseball games this week. 

The Wildcats are playing Abilene Christian at 6 p.m. on both Tuesday, May 24 and Wednesday May 25. Want to go? Enter below. 

We'll call the winners mid day on Tuesday, and tickets have to be picked up from our office by 5 p.m.

Good luck!

Here are the weekend’s developments in the story of the Arizona Daily Herald, an online news site that came to life for about 24 hours on Facebook before evaporating from the web.

As the Weekly already reported here and here, a 19-year-old communications aide to Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller, Timothy DesJarlais, has an online alter ego, Jim Falken. In a remarkable coincidence, Jim Falken is also the name used by whoever was behind the Arizona Daily Herald, which has many political observers suspicious that DesJarlais made a clumsy effort to masquerade as a reporter and publish stories on the Arizona Daily Herald site in order to report on issues involving his boss.

While he ran into a bathroom to avoid commenting on any connection to Herald website on Thursday, DesJarlais has since denied any involvement in the now-defunct online project.


“Regarding the current Arizona Daily Herald site and email address, those accounts are bogus accounts created by someone trying to impersonate me,” DesJarlais said in a statement. “As I work for Supervisor Miller and know both Kim and Marla well, I would have no reasons or time to pull any stunts like this. Nevertheless, I do apologize to anyone for the inconveniences caused to them and charge whoever did this to come forward and confess the truth.”

Miller has fully supported her staffer’s story and announced that she plans to file a report with the FBI.

Although she and DesJarlais refused to respond to multiple messages from the Weekly over two days last week to explain their side of the story before a report was published, Miller lashed out the media for reporting the story.

“Our crack reporters have done another bang up job...smearing the name of a 19 year old young man who works on my staff,” Miller posted on Facebook. “He was accused of contacting candidates etc. I know the name and phone number of the individual who did this and I have filed an FBI cybercrimes report as has my staff member. This individual has committed federal crimes. He wasn't quite as smart as he thought he was. I will keep you updated and hope to see this loser prosecuted. Oh and as for the media who put these reports out on a 19 year old kid. You ought to be ashamed!”