News » Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Proposal Tougher Than Most





This November, Arizona voters will be asked to vote on a medical marijuana law, Proposition 203. The Medical Marijuana Act would allow seriously ill or terminal patients to register with the Arizona Department of Health Services for a medicinal marijuana permit.

Unlike California’s law, the Arizona proposal specifically limits the types of medical conditions for which marijuana may be prescribed and obtained. Conditions include HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis C, seizures, cancer, and others.

Nevertheless, the proposition has a groundswell of support in Arizona. The state and many of the supporters of MMJ are critical of how California’s system has worked out and want to avoid the perceived problems they see in their neighbor’s system.

Dispensaries in Arizona would be limited to 124 (the number is defined as 1 for every 10 pharmacies registered in the state, so it is not a fixed number). Further, as in Colorado, the list of specific diseases and conditions it can be prescribed for can be amended when a patient and doctor appeal to the Arizona Department of Health.

Opponents to the law are trotting out the usual reasons: it’s “addictive,” it’s “a gateway drug,” and “it leads to higher crime.” All baseless, of course, and as old hat as arguments can get.

[source State Press]

Tags: Arizona, California, medical