It’s prohibited by law to consume and carry marijuana in Arizona. Although the approval of Proposition 200 in the late ‘90s enabled doctors to prescribe cannabis medicinally, the law was marred by legislative tussles. The state eventually legalized industrial hemp in 2018.
The following passages will elaborate on the marijuana and CBD laws of Arizona.
Marijuana in Arizona
Arizonans cannot smoke a reefer so long they are in the confines of the Grand Canyon State. Moreover, possessing any amount up to 16 ounces can imprison you for 4 to 24 months.
The Proposition 205, commonly known as, The Arizona Marijuana Legalization Initiative, was unfortunately defeated by a 51.32% “No” vote in the November 2016 ballot. Two years later, the initiative failed to garner sufficient signatures for the November 2018 ballot. Nonetheless, there’s a possibility of it appearing as an initiated state statute in the November 2020 election.
The forecasters have already predicted an ambitious recreational sale of $243 million by the year 2022.
Medical Marijuana
AMMA, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act was passed in 2010. It made Arizona the fourteenth U.S. state to adopt medicinal marijuana laws. The act declares the Arizona Department of Health Services as the medical program’s licensing authority. Specifically;
- An Arizonian can carry up to 2 & ½ oz. of marijuana.
- State residents can grow up to a dozen cannabis plants if their place of residence is more than 25 miles away from a state-registered dispensary.
As of 2019, there are about 153,000 qualified patients in The Grand Canyon State.The 2018 medical marijuana sales fetched a whopping $633 million, while the projection for the year 2022 is an astronomical $948 million.
Medical Marijuana Eligibility
You are eligible for marijuana in Arizona on medical grounds if you have:
- Cachexia
- Chronic pain
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Cancer
- Lou Gehrig’s disease
- Crohn’s Disease
- Hepatitis C
- HIV or AIDS
- Glaucoma
- Nausea
- PTSD
- Persistent Muscle Spasms
- Seizures
CBD Oil Laws in Arizona
Earlier in 2018, Governor of Arizona, Doug Ducey, signed Senate Bill 1098; thereby launching an agricultural pilot program that is enabling licensed establishments to research the cultivation, growth, and marketing of industrial hemp. Any grower, harvester, processor, or transporter is obligated to get a license from AZDA – the Arizona Department of Agriculture. The bill will become effective on August 4, 2019.
Therefore, you can lawfully purchase CBD products in the Copper State, provided:
- The cannabidiol is extracted from legally cultivated industrial hemp carrying only 0.3% THC.
- The CBD is sourced from the stalks, sterilized seeds, stalk fiber, or oil of the industrial hemp.
Conclusion
Arizona law bans the consumption and possession of adult-use marijuana. Its advocators are striving to legalize it through The Arizona Marijuana Legalization Initiative, but the campaign is facing severe opposition from the prohibitionists.
However, the medicinal kind of cannabis was made legal in 2010 in the Grand Canyon State, which allows you to possess up to 2.5 ounces. Also, in 2018, Arizonalegalized the research, farming, and distribution of industrial hemp, thereby allowing its residents to lawfully purchase CBD products.
