July 2014 - Arizona Medical Marijuana Law

Arizona Court Rules Probation No Bar to Medical Marijuana Use

Arizona Daily Star: “The state cannot prohibit someone from using medical marijuana because that person is on probation, even for drug charges, the state Court of Appeals ruled Friday. Appellate Judge Peter Eckerstrom said that when voters approved the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act in 2010, they declared those with a doctor’s recommendation and the required state-issued ID card are not subject to ‘arrest, prosecution or penalty in any manner, or denial of any right or privilege’.”

By On the Net|2017-02-04T07:38:59-07:00July 28th, 2014|AZ Marijuana Law Lawsuits, Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Repeal Prohibition, Again

New York Times: “It took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end Prohibition, 13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise law-abiding citizens became criminals and crime syndicates arose and flourished. It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol. The federal government should repeal the ban on marijuana.”

The Times editorial board wants the U.S. to legalize marijuana and has a six part series on marijuana.

Part 1: Let States Decide on Marijuana, July 26, 2014

Part 2: Let States Decide on Marijuana, July 26, 2014

Part 3: The Injustice of Marijuana Arrests, July 28, 2014

Part 4: The Federal Marijuana Ban Is Rooted in Myth and Xenophobia, July 29, 2014

Part 5: What Science Says About Marijuana, July 30, 2014

By On the Net|2014-08-03T07:32:23-07:00July 28th, 2014|Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Phoenix Has Ten Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

Arizona Republic: “Nearly four years after voters passed the Medical Marijuana Act, Phoenix now has 10 state-licensed dispensaries.”

By On the Net|2014-07-25T07:12:50-07:00July 25th, 2014|Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Judge Says Pot Patient Can Sell Marijuana to Another Patient

Phoenix New Times: “Arizona’s medical-marijuana law is so vague, the state can’t prosecute patients who sell pot to other patients, a Pima County Superior Court judge has ruled. . . . The case began with the October 8, 2013, indictment of Jeremy Allen Matlock on three felony counts in connection with the sale and growing of marijuana.”

See “Ruling could pave way for medicinal marijuana patients to sell drug to one another.”

See also my June 24, 2011, article on this subject called “Can a Person Who Holds an Arizona Medical Marijuana Patient Card Sell Marijuana to Another Arizona Licensed Patient or Caregiver?”

By On the Net|2017-02-04T07:38:59-07:00July 23rd, 2014|AZ Marijuana Law Lawsuits, Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Welfare Cash for Weed in Colorado

National Review: “For the past six months, welfare beneficiaries in Colorado have repeatedly withdrawn their cash benefits at marijuana retailers and dispensaries . . . . Such apparent abuses have caught the eye of Colorado’s executive and legislative powers alike, and the state has launched an effort to curb them. At least 259 times in the first six months of legalized recreational marijuana in Colorado, beneficiaries used their electronic-benefit transfer (EBT) cards to access public assistance at weed retailers and dispensaries, withdrawing a total of $23,608.53 in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash, NRO’s examination found.

By On the Net|2014-07-22T18:51:12-07:00July 22nd, 2014|Colorado News, Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Colorado Underestimated Pot Demand

USA Today: “A study on the Colorado marijuana market is providing economists and business professionals an inside look at the pot industry for the first time. Regulators in the Centennial State have released the brief for the Colorado Department of Revenue, which reveals a number of interesting items, including that Coloradans are consuming a lot more cannabis than was previously estimated. . . . What is the major takeaway from the study? That folks in Colorado are consuming a lot of marijuana“

By On the Net|2014-07-21T19:28:28-07:00July 21st, 2014|Colorado News, Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Medical Marijuana Researcher’s Termination Smells

Mint Press News: “For a controversial, but well-established, researcher and professor, a controversial termination that may halt a study on marijuana’s effects on PTSD patients. When Sue Sisley, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona, was notified by the university that her contract would not be renewed on June 27, medical marijuana advocates cried foul. Legalization proponents argued that the professor was fired by the university because she was in favor of medical marijuana legalization, supported adding post-traumatic stress disorder as a qualifying condition to Arizona’s medical marijuana program, and was about to begin a federally-approved study that many believed would prove that marijuana contains medicinal benefits for PTSD sufferers.”

By On the Net|2017-02-04T07:38:59-07:00July 15th, 2014|Stories & Articles|Comments Off

L.A. Asks Court to Halt Cannabis Farmers Market

Los Angeles Times: “The Los Angeles city attorney is seeking an injunction to stop what’s being dubbed as the city’s first-ever cannabis-centric farmers market, which opened for business over the Fourth of July weekend. The medical marijuana market opened July 4-6 inside a Boyle Heights warehouse and continued to operate this past weekend, following its successful start. But City Atty. Mike Feuer says his office will request a temporary restraining order to stop operations.”

By On the Net|2014-07-15T07:03:00-07:00July 15th, 2014|California News, Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Gilbert Revokes Permit for Medical-marijuana Site

Arizona Republic: “A medical-marijuana dispensary near Power and Warner roads in Gilbert likely won’t be opening any time soon as the town’s Planning Commission recently revoked the developer’s site use permit. . . . One developer, Duke Rodriguez with Ultra Health, held the use permit from the town.”

See “AZ Dept. of Health Services Confirms Ultra Health, LLC Lacks a License for a Medical Marijuana Dispensary.”

By On the Net|2014-07-25T07:05:49-07:00July 15th, 2014|Stories & Articles, Zoned Properties & Duke Rodriguez|Comments Off

Arizona OKs Medical Marijuana for PTSD Patients

Arizona Daily Star: “Thousands of Arizona veterans and others suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder will soon be able to obtain marijuana legally. State health director Will Humble decided Wednesday there is at least one study showing the drug can be helpful in treating the symptoms of PTSD. He said that, combined with some anecdotal evidence, provides what he needs under Arizona law to allow doctor with a qualifying patient to recommend the drug. But Humble said he is approving the drug for use only to help patients deal with the symptoms of PTSD. He said there is no evidence that marijuana can be useful to actually treat or cure the condition.”

By On the Net|2014-07-10T19:17:19-07:00July 10th, 2014|Dept Health Services, Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Advice for New Marijuana Buyers

USA Today: “In light of Washington’s start Tuesday of legal marijuana sales, USA TODAY asked Colorado experts for suggestions on how newbie marijuana buyers should proceed. We’ve edited and condensed the answers for clarity and space.”

By On the Net|2014-07-09T19:05:47-07:00July 9th, 2014|Colorado News, Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Phoenix Medical-marijuana Dispensaries Crop Up

Arizona Republic: “TruMed is one of the 10 state-licensed medical-marijuana dispensaries that have cropped up in Phoenix, nearly four years after Arizona voters passed the Medical Marijuana Act. . . . Phoenix is home to 15 such areas, and four more straddle the city’s boundaries. Within those areas are the 10 state-licensed medical-marijuana dispensaries in Phoenix proper.”

By On the Net|2014-07-09T07:24:44-07:00July 9th, 2014|Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Colorado vs. Washington: Whose pot is better?

USA Today: “With two states now allowing recreational marijuana sales, curious minds want to know: Whose pot is better? Washington joined Colorado on Tuesday in allowing marijuana sales, and retailers in Washington braced for long lines and high demand. The same happened when Colorado legalized recreational sales Jan. 1, and tens of thousands of buyers got the chance to pick from a wide variety of strains, from Blue Dream to AK-47 and Facewreck.”

By On the Net|2014-07-09T19:17:31-07:00July 8th, 2014|Colorado News, Stories & Articles, Washington News|Comments Off

L.A.’s First Marijuana Farmers Market

Hollywood Reporter: “The three-day event at California Heritage Market was billed as L.A. County’s first farmers market for medical marijuana, where buyers could bypass dispensary owners and go directly to growers. Temperatures in the 90s didn’t keep thousands of pot smokers, pain sufferers and partiers alike from standing outside California Heritage Market, billed as L.A. County’s first farmers market for medical marijuana, this past weekend. Lines to get in were as long as an hour Friday, the first day of the three-day event.”

By On the Net|2014-07-08T07:39:27-07:00July 8th, 2014|California News, Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Pot Plants Slurp California’s Water Supply

CNBC: “California cannabis growers may be making millions, but their thirsty plants are sucking up a priceless resource: water. Now scientists say that if no action is taken in the drought-wracked state, the consequences for fisheries and wildlife will be dire.”

By On the Net|2014-07-08T07:26:25-07:00July 8th, 2014|California News|Comments Off

With Legal Marijuana, Washington Joins Exclusive Club

USA Today: “Smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em: Washington state this week joins an exclusive club as residents and tourists alike get their first chance to buy recreational marijuana. The second state to legalize recreational pot — Colorado allowed sales starting Jan. 1 — Washington joins a fast-growing market that’s already generating tens of millions of dollars in taxes with no signs of slowing down.”

By On the Net|2014-07-09T19:14:17-07:00July 7th, 2014|Stories & Articles, Washington News|Comments Off

Republican House Passes Bill to Stop DEA Raids on Medical Marijuana

The Daily Beast: “In a historic move Thursday night, Congress voted to pass a bill that will end federal raids on medical marijuana. The first major marijuana reform to pass, it’s a sign of a new day rising in the war on drugs. In an unprecedented move Thursday night, the House of Representatives voted to pass a bill that prevents the Drug Enforcement Administration from raiding state-legal medical marijuana dispensaries.”

By On the Net|2014-07-04T07:29:14-07:00July 4th, 2014|Federal Dispensary Attacks, Stories & Articles|Comments Off

Raid at Colorado Pot Club

Associated Press: “A police raid at an Amsterdam-style cannabis lounge in Denver has triggered a debate over where adults can smoke pot in a state that allows recreational marijuana consumption – but not in public. Denver police showed up last week at Maryjane’s Social Club, one of dozens of private pot-smoking clubs in Colorado operating in a legal gray area. The officers handcuffed smokers, seized drug paraphernalia and ticketed the club’s owner for violating state law banning indoor cigarette smoking.”

By On the Net|2015-04-06T18:57:50-07:00July 4th, 2014|Colorado News, Stories & Articles|Comments Off