As New Times noted yesterday, if you smoke pot, and have any of the symptoms that could potentially qualify you for a medical-marijuana card, you’d be an idiot to not at least try to get one.Our advocacy of medical marijuana, however, has apparently pissed off at least one reader, who…
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 addition to the draft rules that requires doctors to state the underlying condition causing “chronic…
If you ever smoke or use marijuana, it’s time to see the doctor. The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act is the law of the land, and now the state Department of Health Services has provided a map to legal immunity for anyone interested in possessing pot. The final rules from…
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 in northwestern Arizona is a definite sign that “the times they are a changin’.” More…
The state Department of Health Services has published its “final” rules intended to guide and maintain the medical-marijuana system approved by voters last year. Whether the rules will be challenged in court remains to be seen.We glanced through the new rules this morning, but realize that many of you — having…
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 we told you about last month aims to dilute that protection, however, and it has solid support among state lawmakers. The Patient Discrimination Act, is…
In a creative yet another case of people making illicit Build-A-Bears, a former Arizona resident has been arrested in Iowa for mailing teddy bears filled with pot. At least one was mailed from Tempe, authorities say. Douglas Duane Hoffman, 53, was arrested on Monday and slapped with marijuana distribution charges…
A state lawmaker wants to scratch out the anti-discrimination clause in Arizona’s medical marijuana law and give immunity to employers who fire qualified patients. The callous bill by State Representative Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix, also seeks to ban people from using medical weed “in a condominium or planned community common area that…
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 marijuana rules hearing in Tempe, and…
It’s standing-room only here at the state-sponsored public hearing on medical marijuana at Arizona State University. Looks like at least 400 people showed up, cramming into all the chairs and lining up along the back wall of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law’s Great Hall in Tempe. This is just…
Montana’s State House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly yesterday to repeal that state’s 2004 voter-approved medical marijuana initiative The repeal bill still needs to go before the State Senate — and faces possible veto by Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat. But the vote, even though it fell sharply along party…
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 medical marijuana patients can’t even apply for privileges…
Here’s another tip from the wide world of marijuana transportation: Apparently a bunch of expired juice boxes isn’t a good cover for hauling more than 1,300 pounds of weed. Nonetheless, police allege 45-year-old Wendell M. Stoddart of doing just that…
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 New Times that the…
If you were to grow more than 300 weed plants inside your house, here’s a bit of information that might come in handy next time you’re in the Febreeze aisle at Walmart: it’s gonna stink. A Chandler man’s indoor weed forest smelled so bad, in fact, that cops could smell…
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…
