Top MAGA Republicans in Arizona are openly backing a full repeal of adult-use marijuana sales just weeks after President Donald Trump shocked the party by supporting federal rescheduling, exposing a raw split inside the GOP base that could decide the future of legal weed in the Grand Canyon State.
The revolt is led by state Senator Wendy Rogers and Representative Justin Heap, both hard-line Trump supporters who have filed legislation to completely overturn Proposition 207, the 2020 voter-approved initiative that legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over.
If passed, the bill would shut down Arizona’s $1.4 billion adult-use market overnight and return the state to medical-only cannabis.
Why Trump’s Own Voters Are Defying Him
Trump stunned the political world in August when he publicly endorsed moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, calling current federal policy “ridiculous” and promising to let states decide.
That position put him to the left of many Arizona Republicans who now say they will ignore the former president on this issue.
“I respect President Trump on 99% of things, but on this one he’s wrong,” Senator Wendy Rogers told reporters outside the Capitol on Tuesday. “We don’t want another Colorado here. Adult-use marijuana has brought crime, homelessness, and cartel money into our neighborhoods.”
Representative Heap went further, declaring that “keeping our promise to Trump means keeping drugs off our streets, not putting them in every strip mall.”
The Numbers Behind the Panic
Arizona’s adult-use market has exploded since 2021:
- $1.4 billion in sales in 2023 alone
- Over $310 million in tax revenue collected for schools, roads, and public safety
- 73% of Arizonans say they support legal adult-use marijuana (HighGround poll, September 2024)
- Violent crime in Phoenix actually dropped 8% from 2020 to 2023 (Arizona DPS data)
Despite the revenue windfall and falling crime rates, repeal supporters point to rising youth use and highly publicized cases of impaired driving as proof the experiment failed.
National Republicans Watching Closely
The Arizona fight has become a proxy war for the soul of the post-Trump GOP.
Florida Governor Ron ДеSantis quietly encouraged the repeal effort during a private call with Arizona lawmakers last month, sources say, while Ohio’s new Republican legislature is already drafting similar rollback language after voters legalized marijuana in 2023.
“This is the first real test of whether Trump still controls the party on culture war issues,” said Tyler Montague, a Phoenix-based GOP strategist. “If Arizona Republicans defy him and win, it proves the MAGA base is more socially conservative than even Trump himself.”
What’s Next in the Legislature
The repeal bill is expected to be introduced when the legislative session begins in January 2025.
Republican leadership has not yet taken an official position, but Governor Katie Hobbs has already promised a veto, calling any repeal attempt “political suicide.”
With Democrats holding zero chance of stopping the bill in committee, the real battle will come down to moderate Republicans in swing districts who fear backlash from younger voters and the powerful dispensary industry.
Early polling shows 58% of Arizona Republicans now oppose full repeal, creating the very real possibility that Trump’s own voters could sink the MAGA hardliners’ plan.
The fight in Arizona is no longer just about marijuana. It’s about whether Donald Trump’s word still matters to the movement that carries his name.