We received more than 1,500 comments on our second draft of the medical marijuana rules- bring the total number of comments to more than 3,000. We’ve posted all the comments on our hub website http://www.azdhs.gov/prop203/ (with personal information and foul language removed). We’ll be examining the suggestions over the coming weeks and expect to publish our final rule package on Monday, March 28.
Medical Marijuana Public Comments Posted
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
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.
9 Comments
Comments are closed.
Will, I’ve been reading the comments and it appears the majority of the comments from the citizens want less regulations and easier patient access to affordable cannabis. Would you agree??? If the comment period was in place to listen to the public and give the public what they want then I assume the final draft rules will mimic what you’ve heard from an overwhelming majority of the citizens. I was at all 4 public comment sessions and the rooms were packed with citizens for less regulation, easy access, and affordable medication. What I didn’t see was a presence of citizens who thought medical cannabis was a dangerous drug and wanting more regulation. I urge you to think of those public comment sessions when drafting the final rules. The citizens of Arizona have spoken and there is a clear movement that the people of Arizona want easy access to Medical Cannabis. Stand up for our freedom and let the citizens voices who took the time to participate in the comment sessions be heard. The FDA has approved Marinol which is a synthetic THC (made from man) and a schedule 3 drug. It makes no since to me to then classify a natural man made plant that produces natural THC as a schedule 1 drug. I know it’s not your job to question this but please take a look and ask yourself if it makes since. There is no LD50 rating but its classified the same as meth, crack, and heroin. The public is educated and it’s time for a change. Let the people of Arizona have an option other than big pharma drugs and big business alcohol which does more harm to our bodies. The pendulum is turning Sir and you have the power to stand behind the citizens and patients of Arizona and reverse the insanity of the propaganda the federal government has been cramming down our throat to protect other interests. Educate yourself on cannabis history and stand up for the voices your heard at these public comment sessions.
It is well known that when MJ is grown indoors, this takes much artificial bright lighting. Consequently, the electrical bill of the person or household who/which are growing the MJ tends to jump considerably, if not skyrockets. Therefore, some states and/or countries who monitor illegal indoor growing of MJ ask the electric utility companies to monitor the rapid increase in electricity use by their customers and report the same to health and/or police officials. This topics was recently the subject of a Wall Street Journal article.
The amount of shear ignorance displayed here, the amount of greed and the total disregard for the end user is appalling. By the time every possible agency gets a slice of the pie, no one will be able to afford the product. The people of the state of Arizona asked for reasonable access and reasonable rules. None of this seems to be happening.There is no such thing as a $25 ounce at the street level, however if you continue on this path it is the street dealers you will be supporting rather than suppressing. I always that the point is to provide this product for medical use at a more than competitive price so that the street dealers would be forced out of the equation, thus lessening any possible crime associated with this product. I always thought that a reasonable sales tax would be imposed to assist in lessing the growing burden of State revenues and debt. The actual reality is that at the street level the price for the very worst product is around 100.00 per ounce and for the required quality to actually provide any real medicinal value it is more like 400.00 per ounce. This is not new information to anyone involved here. Any officer on the street could have given you this information yet still the total absurdity continues. You miss the entire point. In the end, continuing along this path, no one will be able to afford this, it will be regulated worse than any other product in history and no one will benefit from it at all. For what? For the pettiness of individual agencies and for greed. Good luck with that. Rather that affecting the illegal trade you will only create more demand and support the associated crime. Total ignorance reigns once again.Is there ONE honest man among you?
I just finished reading the published comments and I’m a little disturbed by one person who posted a couple hundred times (word for word) that doctors be restricted to 100 patients.
Keep in mind that very few doctors have come forward that they will prescribe medical marijuana. Many can’t because of their hospital or clinic rules.
I’m guessing that 100, 000 to 150,000 Arizona patients are in extreme pain, qualify, and will seek a medical marijuana doctor.
If there is a shortage of doctors, and your office restricts patients, than a lot of poor people will have to get their medical marijuana on the streets.
Please help gthe poor and those who are in pain.
Liz makes a valid point.
I also read the public comments and one person or a small group of people have made hundreds of posts — word for word — asking for doctors to be restricted to 100 patients. This is totally unrealistic.
The doctor I see belongs to the largest clinic in Northern Arizona, Northland Clinic. My doctor has advised me that the clinic is prohibiting it’s doctors from recommending Medical Marijuana. Many hospitals are also prohibiting their doctors from recommending medical marijuana. Many areas are very rural with few doctors. The doctors that are available belong to these clinics.
I’ve seen only a very small amount of doctors who have come forward so far to say they will recommend medical marijuana to patients in need and they are in Phoenix and Tucson.
Do not restrict doctors to a patient number. Instead vigorously fine any doctors who are not following the law.
I absolutely do NOT support medical marijuana. Replacing pain drugs with other drugs is not a viable solution. I advocate hypnosis, which is extremely effective for pain and nausea and does not place the patient’s reliance on things (medication) outside their own body.
I believe that pain pills ought to be outlawed. and marijuana be the alternative. it is so much safer.
An fascinating discussion is price comment. I feel that you need to write more on this matter, it may not be a taboo topic however typically persons are not enough to talk on such topics. To the next. Cheers
ADHS doesn’t have anything to do with the price in dispensaries.