Arizona Marijuana Legalization: This Man Was Shocked To Be Arrested, Didn’t Realize Marijuana Was Still Illegal

Lon Victor Post, a man from Arizona, didn’t believe he was doing anything wrong when he was sitting in his vehicle, listening to music, and smoking marijuana on a Wednesday morning. As far as Arizona marijuana legalization is concerned, however, recreational marijuana is still illegal.

Per the Mohave Valley Daily News, it was at 1:30 a.m. when police first arrived at the Arizona man’s vehicle after receiving reports of an intoxicated man playing loud music. In the arrest report, police first described the Arizona man’s behavior as “more than a little odd.” Police later had more of an understanding of his odd behavior when it was discovered the man didn’t realize recreational marijuana legalization wasn’t a thing in Arizona.

After arriving at the vehicle, police asked the Arizona man to turn down his music, and he complied. This was when police noticed the smell of marijuana and a small plastic bag in his shirt pocket. Per the Daily Miner, police asked the Arizona man to remove the bag from his pocket and then asked him what it was.

Lon Victor Post did not hesitate to answer the police honestly. He told the officers it was marijuana and that he did not have a medical license to possess it in the state of Arizona. The Arizona man attempted to resist the police officers when they tried to arrest him because he thought he was being unfairly detained. After responding to the officers’ attempt to arrest him aggressively, the police had no choice but to use a Taser on him, reports the Phoenix New Times.

Once the Arizona man calmed down and asked the police why he was being arrested, the police explained to him that marijuana legalization in the state of Arizona required him to have a prescription and a medical marijuana card. Because he did not have a prescription or medical marijuana card, the marijuana he had was illegal.

There are 6.73 million residents in the state of Arizona, and over 100,000 of them have registered to legally use medical marijuana since its legalization in the state. Lon Victor Post, however, was not one of these 100,000 people.

Per the Wichita Eagle, Lon Victor Post’s lack of understanding when it comes to Arizona’s marijuana legalization is understandable. Arizona was one of the first states in the United States that voted on the issue of marijuana legalization on November 8. Arizona, however, was the only state to reject the ballot for recreational marijuana legalization. Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, California, Washington, Nevada, Massachusetts, Maine, and Washington, D.C., on the other hand, have all legalized marijuana in the past few years.

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The Wichita Eagle also points out the fact that even if recreational marijuana legalization existed in the state of Arizona, it would still be illegal for Lon Victor Post to smoke marijuana in public. This would be true even if Lon Victor Post had a medical marijuana card. This is because in most states in the United States where marijuana is legal either recreationally or medically, including Arizona, it is still illegal for you to smoke it in public.

Do you think the police should let Lon Victor Post go due to his lack of understanding of Arizona marijuana legalization? What do you think about his decision to smoke marijuana in public? Share your thoughts on this Arizona marijuana legalization story with us in the comments section below!

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