Phoenix New Times:  “State Representative Jay Lawrence (R-Fountain Hills) has withdrawn his bill that could have destroyed Arizona’s medical-marijuana program.  Lawrence’s bill, HCR 2019, would have stripped naturopaths and homeopaths of the right to recommend medical marijuana, even though those doctors write nearly 90 percent of the recommendations. His plan also called for patients to renew their cards every six months instead of every year, paying double the annual fees.”

KTAR News:  “Republican lawmakers are trying to amend Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Act to make it more difficult for patients to access medication.  Their proposals include limiting which types of doctors can issue medical marijuana referrals, tightening restrictions on who can receive referrals and requiring patients to get new referrals more often.  But the proposals could conflict with the Arizona Constitution, which prevents the Legislature from altering voter-approved initiatives such as the Medical Marijuana Act, which has nearly 88,000 qualified patients.”