The United States has come a long way over the past century when it comes to both medical and recreational marijuana use. It is pretty astounding to know that it was only 53 years ago that President Richard Nixon classified marijuana as a Schedule 1 narcotic across the country through the 1970 “Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act,” formally declaring that marijuana had no medicinal value.
We know now that Nixon’s declaration was false. Medical marijuana has since been legalized in 37 states and the nation’s capital because it is proven to help treat patients with severe pain, nausea, and many other symptoms, according to Mayo Clinic.
In the U.S., the state of Arizona has been at the forefront of the implementation of positive marijuana laws that have helped thousands of residents suffering from various conditions. To learn more about Arizona’s part in it all, check out this guide on the history of medical marijuana in the state of Arizona put together by the experts at AZ Marijuana Cards.
Arizona’s Failed Medical Marijuana Legalization Attempts
The history of medical marijuana in Arizona goes much further back than most people realize. In 1996, the people of Arizona actually voted to legalize medical marijuana through the “Drug Medicalization, Prevention, and Control Act” with a 65% majority. Despite the clear victory for medical marijuana, the Arizona state legislature repealed the provision in law that allowed the medical use of marijuana within just a few months.
In the years to follow, there were a couple of other attempts to legalize medical marijuana in Arizona, but they did not come to fruition. In 1998, a medical marijuana law was turned down by Arizona voters due to a “conflict” with federal law. The same thing occurred four years later, in 2002, when the people of Arizona voted against a new law that called for the legalization of medical marijuana—Proposition 203. It was rejected by only 57% of the voting population.
Legalization of Medical Marijuana in Arizona
It wasn’t until eight years later, in 2010, that Arizona voters passed Proposition 203 with 50.1% of the vote leading to the implementation of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA).
In 2011, the Arizona Department of Health Services started accepting applications for registry cards for patients with “debilitating medical conditions” including cancer, HIV/AIDS, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma, epilepsy, seizures, multiple sclerosis, and/or conditions that lead to chronic pain and muscle spasms.
Since the law’s implementation, over 300,000 individuals in Arizona have been approved as medical marijuana patients, according to the New York Times.
The implementation of the AMMA has meant that patients who are registered with the state of Arizona can be prescribed marijuana to treat their conditions. The parameters of Arizona’s medical marijuana law include that registered patients can possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and any patient living 25+ miles away from a dispensary can cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants.
An Uphill Battle
Even though Arizona has proven to be quite progressive when it comes to the legalization of marijuana, there have also been many attempts by state lawmakers to pass restrictive laws that negatively impact Arizona’s medical marijuana patients.
Shortly after the passage of Arizona’s medical marijuana law, Arizona lawmakers passed two house bills that successfully limited the rights and privacy of medical marijuana patients. HB 2541 allowed employers to fire patients based on the “word” of a reliable employee or a drug test. HB 2585 led to cannabis patients being added to Arizona’s prescription drug registry monitoring program.
In 2015, Arizona lawmakers once again attempted to limit patient protections by passing HB 2364, which stated that providers do not have to give patients workers’ compensation benefits. This meant patients were not reimbursed for the costs associated with using medical marijuana.
Even as recently as 2017, the Arizona Department of Child Services issued a regulation stating medical marijuana patients are not able to become foster parents.
Despite these lawmakers’ attempts to limit the full scope of Arizona’s medical marijuana law, the medical marijuana industry in Arizona is currently thriving, and the success seen in the medical marijuana industry has also led to progress when it comes to the legalization of recreational marijuana in Arizona.
The Modern Marijuana Market
During 2019, there were several huge wins for marijuana patients through updated Arizona laws:
- An Arizona Court ruled that recommendation letters from doctors in California are just as valid as letters from Arizona doctors
- Governor Doug Ducey signed a law that made patient registry cards valid for two years instead of one
- The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that medical cannabis extracts, edibles, and concentrates are, in fact, legal
These changes made medical marijuana more affordable and more accessible, and they also paved the way for the legalization of recreational marijuana for adults 21 years of age and older through Proposition 207, or the “Smart and Safe Act,” in 2020.
Prop. 207 was approved by a whopping 60% of Arizona voters. To the surprise of many across the nation, it was implemented just a couple of months after the vote and has led to yet another boom in Arizona’s economy. But even before the legalization of adult-use marijuana in Arizona, the medical marijuana market has been doing better than ever before with over $1 billion in medical sales in 2020 alone.
Takeaways
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing when it comes to Arizona’s marijuana laws, but today, it’s easier than ever to legally get access to marijuana. Even so, medical marijuana patients are still given better access through lower sales tax and larger possession limits.
If you are living in Arizona and are hoping to obtain a medical marijuana card, AZ Marijuana Cards can act as a liaison between you and a licensed physician so you can quickly and easily get access to medical marijuana. All you have to do is start your application and speak to a doctor over the phone.
Don’t hesitate to contact us today at info@azmarijuanacards.com or (602)-666-2710 if you have any questions about the process of obtaining an mmj card in the state of Arizona. Start saving money now!