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. The way we read it, the February 1 letter from Melinda Haag, U.S. Attorney for California’s Northern District, (see below), to…
Greenlee County’s population of about 8,500 supports only one pharmacy. Yet a plan devised by the state Department of Health Services could mean the rural area of eastern Arizona will be home to a marijuana dispensary. It seems unlikely that anyone would decide voluntarily to open a specialty retail store catering…
As New Times and other news media reported on Monday, the latest proposed medical pot guidelines restrict the number of dispensaries to arbitrary boundaries known by their cute acronym: CHAAs. Each of the 124 state-licensed dispensaries could inhabit no more than one CHAA, and would be selected at random from the pool of applicants…
The voter-approved medical marijuana system doesn’t go far enough for one Republican lawmaker. Under a bill introduced by Representative John Fillmore of Apache Junction, possession of two ounces or less of marijuana — by anyone — would become a petty offense and carry a fine of only $100. Fillmore…
A state database under development will help regulators figure out whether money-minded doctors and recreational pot users exploit Arizona’s new medical-marijuana program. State residents can begin obtaining recommendations and applying for medical pot cards starting on April 14 under the voter-approved Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. Thousands of people are expected to take advantage of the…
Arbitrary locations around the state created in 2005 by the state Department of Health Services will help guide where medical marijuana stores will go. The state agency created the “Community Health Analysis Areas” in 2005 for other purposes, but has found them useful in rolling out the new medical…
The second round of proposed rules for Arizona’s medical marijuana program eases previously suggested restrictions, making it easier for patients to obtain pot.The newest proposed guidelines from the state Department of Health Services, released this morning, would allow doctors to evaluate a person’s physical condition and medical records, then agree…
If you’re under 18 and use a fake ID to buy cigarettes, chaw, or even blunt wraps, you should stop — if an Arizona lawmaker has her way, doing so could be punishable by up to 30 days in the slammer.Republican state Senator Michele Reagan has proposed SB 1086, which…
Drug smugglers trying to get weed across the U.S./Mexico border are getting even more creative than simply loading watermelon trucks with marijuana — National Guard troops found a catapult a drug cartel’s using to launch bundles of marijuana over the border fence.National Guard troops near the Naco Border Patrol Station…
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…
Imagine sitting on your couch, relaxing, and having a truck full of weed come crashing through the wall like the Kool-Aid guy. It may sound too good to be true, but that was what happened to an Arizona City resident on Sunday night.Pinal County sheriff’s deputies received several calls about…
Marijuana business marketer Al Sobol and local doctor Edgar Suter have teamed up to declare a war, of sorts, against the state and backers of Proposition 203, whom they accuse of plotting to toughen up the new law.In a letter e-mailed to the Arizona Department of Health that copies much…
Another day, another several-hundred pounds of weed discovered near the U.S./ Mexico border.Border agents near Tucson stopped a truck at a checkpoint on Arizona Highway 86 earlier this week and found nearly 300 pounds of weed hidden in a compartment.Arizona Highway 86 runs parallel with the U.S. Mexico border mostly…
One potential benefit of Proposition 203 could be a boost in local food banks, if Arizona pot dispensaries follow the lead of one California clinic. The Granny Purps marijuana dispensary in Soquel, California, has collected 11,000 pounds of food for a holiday charity drive in what the Santa Cruz Sentinel calls “a large…
Before the release of draft rules on Proposition 203, Will Humble, the director of the state Department of Health Services, estimated 100,000 people a year might qualify for medical marijuana.Now, under the proposed regulations, only 10,000 to 20,000 people a year would qualify, he said in a news conference today.The…
The Arizona Department of Health Services released a draft of rules today for the launch of a medical-marijuana program authorized by the voter-approved Proposition 203.Let the debate begin.The draft rules place additional restrictions on the law in terms of what defines a doctor-patient relationship, suggesting that a patient must have…
A Phoenix man found shot to death at his home the day before his 6-year-old son was found murdered in an alley was a drug dealer, court records show.The boy, Xavier Jaquez, was found shot to death Tuesday morning in an alley near his mother’s home, near 65th Avenue and…
Pinal County sheriff’s deputies say a “rip crew” used a car made to look like a police cruiser to make a traffic stop on another vehicle, in which there just happened to be about 320 pounds of weed.According to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy patrolling Interstate 8 on…
For the next few months, Arizona lawyers can assist the needs of marijuana businesses without any repercussions from the State Bar. In a recent news release, the Bar noted that it hasn’t taken any official stance on legal work related to Proposition 203, despite public comments by its ethics attorney about…
We’re not sure what “turning into charcoal” would feel like (and we’re pretty sure it’s not even possible), but apparently it can cause a person to pull out his junk in public and attack a stranger.About 7:30 a.m. Saturday, police responded to a call about a fight in the area…
Village Voice Media, the parent company of New Times, is the only news outlet in the country with its very own pot critic. His pen name is William Breathes — he’s based out of Denver, Colorado, and works for our sister paper, Westword. He’s written an open letter to the…
The buzz in Tempe high schools has officially been killed.The Tempe Union High School district governing board voted last night to ban “Spice,” and other brands of synthetic marijuana in schools. Because of the decision, students found in possession of any faux-weed will face real-weed consequences laid out by the…
