DFor the last few months we’ve been reviewing our medical marijuana rules to make changes to them in response to an Arizona Superior Court judge’s decision.  In addition to the changes needed to comply with the Court’s ruling, also proposing other changes to the medical marijuana rules that affect qualifying patients, caregivers, and dispensaries that include:

  • Reducing the fees for qualifying patients who are 65 years of age or older, under 18 years of age, veterans, receiving SSI or SSDI benefits, or receiving hospice services;
  • Reducing the fees for the caregivers of qualifying patients who are under 18 years of age or receiving hospice services;
  • Adding a process for qualifying patients who are incapacitated and have a guardian to get a registry identification card;
  • Adding palliative care of PTSD to the list of qualifying medical conditions;
  • Clarifying requirements for the cultivation of marijuana;
  • Revising procedures for allocating dispensary registration certificates;
  • Clarifying who can sign documents and make requests on behalf of a dispensary; and
  • Clarifying requirements for inventory control, dispensing and transporting medical marijuana, and accepting donated marijuana.

After posting drafts of revised rules in February and June and meeting with people affected by the rules in June and July, we’re now posting a third draft, which includes changes based on the comments we received, and an on-line survey for comments on the new draft.  Based on the comments that we receive on the third draft, we’ll submit a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which will include official Oral Proceedings. After that, we’ll finalize the new regulations.  We plan to have the revised rules in effect by Summer 2015.  Here are the new draft rules.