Local Arizona dispensary owners, growers, manufacturers, doctors, lawyers and others who are gearing up for a recreational marijuana act on the 2020 ballot are uniting to oppose a circulating initiative.

The group, known as the Arizona Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, believes that if the Smart and Safe Arizona Act passes, then companies that sell medical marijuana will enter a virtual monopoly on the recreational market.

Last month the organization, which was formed in July, launched with a vision to redefine and shape a standard for the marijuana industry in Arizona, according to their website.

The Arizona Cannabis Chamber of Commerce does not disagree with every aspect of the act but wants to take matters into their own hands. They are planning on collaborating with the state Legislature in order to bring a competing proposal that aims to make it on the 2020 ballot in replacement of the Smart and Safe Arizona Act.

The Smart and Safe Arizona Act is a campaign that aims to regulate and tax legal marijuana usage in the state of Arizona. The act states that smoking marijuana in public areas such as restaurants, sidewalks and parks will be prohibited, allow for low-level charges correlated with marijuana use and possession sealed in order to allow those with past cases access to housing and jobs and more, according to its website.

The act was created by the Arizona Dispensary Association, which is the largest trade group in the state for marijuana-associated organizations.

The Arizona Cannabis Chamber of Commerce wants to make a new initiative that will limit the number of dispensaries in particular areas, have tighter control of the number of licenses given, find an option to decrease the now proposed 16% tax on sales in the older initiative and more.

Mason Cave, an advisory board member with the Arizona Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, said the Smart and Safe Arizona Act shuts out important industry players and benefits companies that control the Arizona marijuana market.

"The initiative is really the big companies' initiative," Cave said to the Phoenix New Times. "I'm for smarter, wiser legislation over those guys' pockets.

Riley is a manager at CBD Exclusively and the daughter of one of the owners. CBD Exclusively is a local CBD shop and a member of the Arizona Cannabis Chamber of Commerce.

She said she wants to see a recreational marijuana initiative on the 2020 ballot in accordance with the Arizona Cannabis Chamber of Commerce's ideals in order to not only help her business thrive but also positively impact the store's customers.

"I think that you can get benefits from marijuana and CBD," she said. "…You can probably get stronger dosage and by like smoking it or having more THC in your body (it) could be more beneficial than just at that 0.3% which we're legally allowed to sell."

Stacy Pearson, a spokeswoman for the Smart and Safe Arizona Act, said there is zero chance of another initiative opposing the Smart and Safe Arizona Act before 2020.

She said that since the commerce is so new, there would be too many obstacles for them to face in order to be seen as a competing force.

"We met with more than 300 people to get their input and to ensure that this initiative met their needs," Pearson said. "So this approach is unlike any other, this is developed with the community input for the state of Arizona. It's good policy."

Pearson said the Smart and Safe Arizona Act is already ahead of schedule in the process of gathering 240,000 valid signatures before July 2, 2020, to qualify for the November ballot.

She said that the act will benefit those who already have a license because they will be able to apply for a dual license.

"They get first priority, so … those are the first applications received by DHS," Pearson said. "And the reason we do this is because the faster an adult-use program is up and running, the less likely the illicit market grows."

ASU student Sam Barton, a junior studying communication, paid $350 for her medical card and said she hopes that once marijuana is legalized in the state, it's not too expensive. But even then, she said, it's worth it.

As someone who already has access to legal marijuana, she said she doesn't really care which initiative is on the 2020 ballot if the Arizona Cannabis Chamber of Commerce decides to file one.

Barton said that she isn't a fan of some of the aspects of the Smart and Safe Arizona Act, like the potential of benefiting of bigger companies, but regardless of politics, she said she wants to see the legalization occur in the state as soon as possible.

She said this is due to the criminalization of the drug and hopes to see it decriminalized soon.

"I very strongly believe that no one should be in jail for possessing marijuana … I feel like recently there's been obviously a huge shift politically compared to a few decades ago," Barton said.

Editor's note: The student's name has been changed to protect their identity.