Medical Marijuana

Valley's First Medical Marijuana Dispensary, Arizona Organix, Now Open

Arizona's first licensed medical-marijuana dispensary, Arizona Organix in Glendale, opened today.See also:-Arizona Organix Steps Out as the State's First Authorized Medical-Marijuana Dispensary-Arizona Medical Marijuana Law Is Constitutional, County Judge Finds

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday August 30, 2012

Medical Marijuana Grower Shot and Stabbed During Apparent Robbery

A medical marijuana grower was shot and stabbed inside his Surprise home yesterday in an apparent robbery.Martin Ridgway is in critical condition after being shot once in the abdomen and stabbed multiple times by one of the three men who came to Ridgway's home posing as medical marijuana patients, p ... More >>

Arizona Cannabis Society Raided by Phoenix Police

Arizona Cannabis Society, a medical-marijuana caregiver collective featured prominently in a March New Times blog post, was raided today by Phoenix police.Founder Bill Hayes is still being detained, cops say. However, police have no intention of booking anyone into jail today, says Phoenix Police Se ... More >>

Governor Jan Brewer's Lawsuit Against Medical-Marijuana Law Dismissed by Federal Judge

A federal judge today tossed Governor Jan Brewer's lawsuit against the state's Medical Marijuana Act, saying in her ruling that the state's complaint wasn't ripe.U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton dismissed the case without prejudice and invited the state to file an amended complaint to correct the fl ... More >>

DEA Raids Medical Marijuana Club in Tempe, Accuses Owners of Running Illegal Dispensary

Image: Facebook Arizona Go Green Co-Op's logo. The medical marijuana club was raided yesterday by the DEA.​Days after helping Phoenix police take down violent gang members, the DEA has gone after a softer target: A medical marijuana club in Tempe.Agents began showing up at the AZ Go Green C ... More >>

Tom Horne, State Attorney General, Asks Court to Shut Down Cannabis Clubs; Says He's Taking "Softer Approach" by Not Ordering Arrests

Tom Horne, state Attorney General, has asked a court to rule on the legality of medical marijuana compassion clubs.​ Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne asked a court today to shut down cannabis clubs, claiming they're "blatantly illegal" under Arizona's medical marijuana law.The motion, filed ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, July 28, 2011

Governor Brewer to Police Chiefs: You Should Have Tried Harder to Stop "Dreadful" Medical Pot Law

Governor Jan Brewer, having halted the state's medical marijuana dispensary industry, laments that she and police chiefs didn't campaign hard enough against the new pot law before the November election. ​ Governor Jan Brewer told the state's police chiefs today that they should have tried ... More >>

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to Allow Marijuana Dispensaries as Governor Jan Brewer Keeps Thwarting Voters

Image: Office of NJ Governor Chris ChristieNew Jersey Governor Chris Christie says he'll allow medical marijuana dispensaries without federal approval. Meanwhile, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer keeps thwarting her state's voters.​New Jersey Governor Chris Christie isn't scare of the feds anymore when ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Is Under Attack in Arizona Again -- But This Time, Voters and Patients Hold the High Ground

Arizona Marijuana Dispensaries Face More Problems After Letter by Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Cole, Industry Reps Say

​The medical-marijuana-dispensary industry faces more hurdles and delays following a "clarification" by the U.S. Justice Department, industry reps say.The letter by Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Cole, which dizzily seems to give protection to marijuana patients while threatening the busin ... More >>

Governor Jan Brewer Says Feds' New Letter on Medical Pot Proves She Took "Proper Course of Action" in Derailing Dispensary Program

Governor Jan Brewer​Governor Jan Brewer believes that a "clarification" by the feds on medical-marijuana programs proves she took the "proper course of action" in halting the voter-approved dispensary program.Brewer and state Attorney General Tom Horne filed a declaratory judgment in federal ... More >>

Obama Administration Clarifies Medical Marijuana Stance -- Sort Of; Reaffirms Lack of Interest in Prosecuting Patients or Caregivers

​The Obama Administration has little interest in prosecuting medical marijuana patients or their caregivers, states a letter addressed to all 50 state Attorneys General by Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Cole.The letter appears to be the awaited "clarification" by the Administration promised ea ... More >>

Allan Sobol: Medical Marijuana Clubs Will Replace Dispensaries in Arizona; For-Profit Club to Offer "Free" Pot

​ A new medical marijuana club managed by Allan Sobol -- an industry huckster and pot-business pioneer -- will give away up to an ounce of "high-grade" pot for "free" to qualified patients. Naturally, there's a catch. The club charges members a hefty $75 in dues each time they come in.Yeah -- ... More >>

Morning Poll: Have Gilbert Police Gone Rogue With Medical Weed Arrests?

Gilbert PDGilbert police Chief Tim Dorn is a law enforcement official who doesn't seem to recognize Arizona's voter-approved medical marijuana law. ​In the past week, Gilbert police -- under the leadership of Chief Tim Dorn -- have raided the home of a qualifying medical marijuana patient, arreste ... More >>

Gilbert Police Raid Tempe Medical Marijuana Shop; Officers Seize Pot, Make No Arrests

Image: Ray SternGarry Ferguson, founder of the Medical Marijuana Advocacy Group, says he'll continue to offer patients a safe place to get their medicine despite a raid by Gilbert police last week on his Tempe business.​Gilbert police made another medical marijuana raid last week -- this one at th ... More >>

Gilbert Police Storm Home, Seize Two Ounces of Marijuana From Card-Holding Medical Pot Patient

Image: azcannabiscenters.comThe owner of Cannabis Patient Screening Centers, Ross Taylor, had his Gilbert home raided last week by police looking for an ounce of marijuana.​ Twenty Gilbert police officers, some in masks and riot gear, stormed a home last week after receiving a tip that the own ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Claims its First Arizona Death: a Medical Marijuana Thief Shot During Weed Robbery

​Larry Miller, 38, tried to rob medical marijuana from a Phoenix man yesterday afternoon, which was a colossal mistake -- the man he tried to rob fatally shot him.According to the Phoenix Police Department Miller and another man contacted a guy who'd been advertising himself as a medical marijuana ... More >>

ACLU to Defend Medical Marijuana Law Against Legal Attack by Governor Jan Brewer

Governor Jan Brewer followed through today on her threat to attack the voter-approved medical marijuana law.​ Governor Jan Brewer followed through today on her threat to attack Arizona's voter-approved medical marijuana law, but advocates of democracy are fighting back. Numerous defendan ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Users Become Legal: Nearly 600 People Approved, Mostly for Chronic Pain

  ​Most people approved to use marijuana legally in Arizona complain of chronic pain related to back problems, severe headaches, injuries or arthritis, new stats show. The Department of Health Services is keeping close track of nearly every facet of the program, and will also soon relea ... More >>

Arizona Department of Health Services Approves 68 Percent of Medical Marijuana Applications on Day One

hempbeach.com​Thursday was the first day for hopeful medical marijuana patients to apply for their voter-mandated medicine, and ADHS spokeswoman Laura Oxley tells New Times the Arizona Department of Health Services approved 44 out of the 65 applications processed by 3 p.m. The department ende ... More >>

Arizona's Medical Marijuana Law in One Handy Guide

Final Rules on Medical Pot Too Tough on Patients, One Doctor Says; Other Pot Advocates Satisfied With Rules

Image: www.azmmgablog.com Dr. Edgar Suter​ The final rules for medical marijuana are too tough on patients and may encourage a lawsuit, says one Valley doctor. Edgard Suter, an East Valley nuclear medicine physician who has been an outspoken advocate for medical marijuana, decried an a ... More >>

Pot Cases in Mohave County Dismissed 'Cause of Out-of-State Medical-Weed Cards

  ​Proposition 203 has sparked dismissal of pot-possession charges in Mohave County against at least 10 people who had out-of-state medical-weed cards. Though the charges shouldn't have been brought against such marijuana card-holders in the first place, what's been happening ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Discrimination Bill Passes House, Heads to State Senate

Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix, says her bill expands, not dilutes, Prop 203. We're not so sure.​ Arizona's new medical marijuana law protects qualified patients from discrimination by their employers, a progressive feature that sets it apart from similar laws in other states. A legislative bill ... More >>

Anti-Prop 203 Bill Would Allow Employers to Discriminate Against Qualified Medical Pot Users

Image: www.azleg.govState Rep. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix, wants employers to have the right to discriminate against and fire qualified medical marijuana users.​ A state lawmaker wants to scratch out the anti-discrimination clause in Arizona's medical marijuana law and give immunity to employers ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Policy Hearing in Tempe Draws Large Crowd

  Image: Ray Stern Joe Yuhas of Riester public relations and a spokesman for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Association, was among the first to speak at today's hearing on medical marijuana.​It's standing-room only here at the state-sponsored public hearing on medical marijua ... More >>

Pot Poll: Support for Larger Grow Facilities and Residency Requirement for Pot-Shop Owners

​ Most Arizona residents prefer larger cultivation facilities for medical pot and residency requirements for dispensary owners, says a poll commissioned by the folks who brought you Prop 203.Joe Yuhas of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Association spoke of the poll results today at the medical m ... More >>

Rules for Medical Marijuana Need More Tweaking, Some Say; Two Public Meetings on Prop 203 Scheduled in Valley This Week

Image: Wikimedia Commons​ Dr. Ed Suter, a Mesa-based physician, says a physical exam should not be required before a doctor provides someone with a recommendation for medical marijuana. Andrew Myers, spokesman for the Prop 203 campaign, thinks that hopeful owners of marijuana dispensaries sho ... More >>

Bill Montgomery and Sheila Polk Probed Whether Prop 203 was Constitutional

Bill Montgomery​ Back in December, medical marijuana foes Bill Montgomery and Sheila Polk, county attorneys for Maricopa and Yavapai, respectively, quietly explored whether or not Proposition 203 could be declared unconstitutional. An e-mail sent to the Arizona Department of Health Services o ... More >>

Arpaio, MCSO Create Team to Target "Medical Marijuana Frauds"

wearebaked.com​Medical marijuana dispensaries are still months from opening their doors, but Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is getting antsy. A press release from the Sheriff's Office Wednesday says it has created a new enforcement unit that targets "medical marijuana frauds," even though ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Tax Proponent Aims Lower; State Rep. Steve Farley Now Wants 100 Percent Tax, Not 300 Percent

​ State Representative Steve Farley, D-Tucson, plans to amend his proposed 300 percent tax on medical marijuana, lowering the tax rate to 100 percent of the retail cost. The amendment, which hasn't yet been posted online, also details where the new revenue would go. Farley's assistant tells Ne ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Cultivation Plan Antagonizes Feds in Oakland -- and Arizona's Plan is Similar

Melinda Haag, US Attorney for California's Northern District, says Oakland's medical pot cultivation permitting system won't fly.​ A plan to oversee medical marijuana cultivation centers in Oakland drew fire from the feds last week -- yet the plan is similar to that being developed in Arizona. ... More >>

Arizona's Medical-Marijuana Pioneers Don't Know the Final Rules of the Game Yet -- But They Are Certain of the Prize

Doctors Recommending Medical Marijuana to be Scrutinized by State and Medical Boards

  Will Humble, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, explains how rules for the state's medical pot system attempt to screen out recreational users.​A state database under development will help regulators figure out whether money-minded doctors and recreational pot use ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Should be Taxed, Says AZ Attorney General Tom Horne

Tom Horne​ Republicans are anti-marijuana and anti-tax. Unless there's a buck to be made. Tom Horne, the state's new Attorney General, just came out in favor of taxing the medical marijuana soon to be sold in Arizona. True, a small tax on the product isn't such a bad idea. The pot shops will ... More >>

Medical Marijuana: Prop 203's Passage Means a New Billion-Dollar Industry for Arizona

Medical Marijuana Proponents Remain Hopeful, Despite Early Results

Andrew Myers of Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project checks preliminary results on Prop 203.​As initial poll results start to come in, Proposition 203 -- the Arizona Medical Marijuana Initiative -- is losing by a small margin. The mood at Alice Cooper'stown-- where supporters of Prop 2 ... More >>

Arizona Medical Marijuana Bill Still Too Close to Call

Andrew Myers of Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project addresses the crowd at Cooper'stown.​As we reported, more than 70 percent of precincts have delivered voting results -- and Proposition 203, Arizona's Medical Marijuana Initiative, is losing by a narrow margin. As this is being writte ... More >>

Prop 203 -- the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act -- Puts the Chronic in Chronic Pain

Why Medical Marijuana is Awful -- Compliments of Keep AZ Drug Free

​Prescription pot has become a hot topic in Arizona lately because of Proposition 203.Prop 203 would allow people suffering from various ailments to be prescribed marijuana by a doctor. It will appear on the ballot in November.A lot of people don't like it, but it's not just conservative party ... More >>

Arizona Cardinals Get Political -- Not on Immigration, On Medical Weed

www.gohastings.com​Like the Phoenix Suns, the Arizona Cardinals have decided to get political.Don't expect to see any Los Cardinals jerseys, or anything immigration related -- the Cards sat out the whole SB 1070 debate (it was the off-season). The Cardinals are throwing their political weight (and ... More >>

Budget Analysts Predict 66,000 People Would Sign Up for Medical Weed if Legalized in Arizona

​If medical marijuana is legalized in Arizona, 66,000 people would register to be recipients of prescribed pot -- that's according to a legislative budget assessment of what the impact would be on the state should medical weed be legalized in Arizona. Analysts predict that 39,600 pe ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Heads Back to Arizona Ballot

​Arizona voters will have yet another chance to vote on whether they want medicinal marijuana legalized in this state, thanks to the efforts of a statewide advocacy group that's collected hundreds of thousands of signatures over the last several months.Only 153,356 signatures were needed to ge ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Probably Will Be on Arizona Ballot in November

​The Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project announced today that it will submit more than enough signatures to the Secretary of State's Office to get an initiative that would legalize the use of medical marijuana on the November ballot here.The initiative only requires 15 ... More >>

Max Fose, Former McCain Political Aide, Fights Medical Marijuana Initiative; Also Behind State Tax-Increase Initiative

Image: Max Fose's Facebook page PR hound Max Fose wants to deprive sick people of medicinal pot and tax them more at the same time.​A former political aide for John McCain has put up $2,500 of his own money to counter a medical marijuana inititiative that probably will be be on the 2010 bal ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Tax Bill Clears Arizona Senate

www.chattahbox.com​A voter initiative to legalize medical marijuana in Arizona is likely to go to the voting booth in November and if it passes, the state hopes to tax the ever-loving crap out of medicinal weed.The Arizona Senate passed SB 1222 yesterday, which allows the state government to levy ... More >>

The Marijuana Militia's Been Activated to Bring Medicinal Dope to Arizona

  www.artfiles.comIn the 1997 Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown, Robert DeNiro's character walks into an apartment and finds Bridget Fonda's flakey blonde character watching television with bong in  hand. He says to her: "You know that shit will kill your ambit ... More >>

Tokin' Resistance

Proposition 200 -- the Drug Medicalization Act -- is causing high anxiety among politicians and lawmen