The Arizona Department of Health Services has serious concerns about the legality of so-called cannabis clubs. The information that we have regarding these “clubs” suggests that they are distributing marijuana to customers in a way that is inconsistent with the provisions of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, and the persons involved could be conducting illegal marijuana transactions. For this reason, we have referred this issue to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for review and analysis by its civil and criminal divisions.
ADHS Asks AZ Attorney General’s Office to Review the Legality of “Cannabis Clubs”
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About the Author: azdhs-admin
Arlis Jenkins is the Hepatitis C Epidemiology Program Manager at the Arizona Department of Health Services. Her work involves specialized knowledge of state and local jurisdictions, social determinants of
health and harm reduction services including drug user health and sex positivity. She is tasked with hepatitis C elimination planning and strategy implementation, a collaborative project that necessitates
statewide community engagement and the formation of strategic partnerships to increase access to quality hepatitis C prevention and care services for all Arizonans.
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The provisions of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act are clear. Anyone operating a “cannabis club” is breaking the law. Since loitering is prohibited around a dispensary. How can these clubs not be breaking the law ? These clubs are just another attempt to sell pot under the “guise” of helping medical marijuana cardholders. It is becoming all too evident, the state, and in particular, the Federal Government cannot police all the illegal marijuana transactions happening now. The people of Arizona voted on and passed the Medical Marijuana Act, but drug dealers will always find a way to make money selling pot. They don’t care who they sell it to, marijuana card or not. The medical marijuana industry is just aching to be over regulated, or regulated out of existence. And still the drug dealers will be around. Patients need to get use to growing their own, or having a caregiver grow it for them. Or the state can grow it for free, distribute it for a small price, and take the financial incentive away from the drug dealers. Cultivate, control and regulate it.
“The provisions of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act are clear. Anyone operating a “cannabis club” is breaking the law. Since loitering is prohibited around a dispensary. How can these clubs not be breaking the law ?”
There are no dispensaries in Arizona right now, remember?
How can you be breaking the Arizona Law when Dispensaries DONT EXIST in Arizona!
How can you loiter in a place that does not exist?
Serious concerns? What’s so serious? Because prop 203 was written to protect dispensary profits and now that they are on “hold” people are working hard to try and get people access to the medicine they are legally allowed to have? That’s cause for “serious” concern? What could the consequences be? Patients get used to “donations” lower than the dispensaries they would have otherwise been FORCED to use?
people always find there way around, unfortunately also here with the cannabis clubs. Everything started so organized here in AZ. Other states were looking at AZ as a perfect sample how do make it right… it was promising to be well regulated…wild growing and clubing could not even come up …
sorry to say BUT in the final already regulated steps you guys in the state messed up for selfish reason to put your own “protection” in front of everybody else… now we have the wild uncontrolled growing and this people will not stop after dispensaries are licensed … it is much easier to regulate from the beginning than changing a speeding car in the opposite direction… the longer you wait the worse it will get…
This issue has been passed by the AZ public several times now and the government still tries to deny it. This is what the public wants, this is the law. You need to put the will of the people into action and stop trying to derail the program. The state is collecting money from people trying to take advantage of a legal way to obtain medicine and you are preventing them from having a place to get it. According to the law, they have the right to grow, posses and exchange it on their own if there is not a dispensary nearby. Please stop fooling around and take the voters seriously on this issue.
WHY VOTE???
Keep Voting don’t give up!
IF THERE’S LAWS THEN FOLLOW THEM.
You guy’s stopped the dispensary system from happening and now you are questioning whether patients helping patients is legal? How do you expect terminally ill patients to get their chosen medicine …from the streets? Just admit it you do not want the voters will to be done!! Or you would do all that you could to help patients not do all that you can to prevent them from obtaining relief.
Mr. Humble, please check out this article:
http://reason.com/blog/2011/07/19/new-jersey-proceeds-with-medic
“New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced that he will proceed with plans to allow distribution of medical marijuana by six nonprofit organizations, despite federal prosecution threats. ”
I’m aware you don’t have complete control over the decision of continuing with the program, but New Jersey was in a similar situation as us and has now decided to continue their program and start implementing dispensaries.
Why is the phone number for the Poison
Control Hotline on the back of the ID cards?
Not one documented death in 5,000 years.
No poison.
I am very concerned about the newly issued cards supposed “warning labels”? They need to be removed or revised. That is unless, it is ADHS’ attempted strategy to scare potential patients into deciding against cannabis, which is a safer, effective alternative. Please remove this horrible, misguided propaganda from our patient and caregiver cards. WE do not deserve this.
Legal or not legal….That is the issue. No one should care too much about these clubs. However, they cannot possibly be legal enterprizes (at this time).Marijuana takes {(from seed) (proviosion in the law at the start.)}………….at least 110-120 days!!! Seeds take 5-15 days to germinate..Before you can put 18-24 hour light a minimum of 10 days……….18-24 hour light for a minimum of 30 days, then 12-12 for flowering 55-75 days, 10-14 days to dry. Do the math”
5+10+30+55+10 So I ask you if the first license was issued on April 14, 2011 and the first club opened on or about July 4, 2011 where did the weed come from. It was produced for distribution in less than 73 days..Sorry that leads any reasonable person to the conclusion the pot was at the very least grown illegally. I see that the 2811 club owner has filed a law suit. He must be worried therefore the smokescreen!!!The governments response to all club owners should be a “cease and desist” until such time that the legality of these so called clubs can be legally established anything less is allowing criminal enterprises to operate under the law. Good luck to all involved.
The Pending Bill: H. B. 2585 requires the reporting of any Medical Marijuana Transfers on a State Pharmacy System…………..