Arizona Regulations & Resources

The State of Arizona

Current Law Pertaining to Medical Marijuana

The State of Arizona first states to legalized medical marijuana medical marijuana when a ballot measure won popular vote in the 2010 general elections. Proposition 203, The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act that essentially:

Protects terminally or seriously ill patients from state prosecution for using limited amounts of marijuana on their doctor’s recommendation;
Qualifies patients who register with the Arizona Department of Health Services and obtain marijuana from nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries regulated by ADHS
Allows private cultivation by ADHS only when no dispensary is available.
Establishes safeguards: registration cards; fingerprinting of caregivers and dispensary personnel to exclude drug and violent felons; strict security, recordkeeping and oversight requirements; inspection of dispensaries; restrictions on number and location of dispensaries; and providing penalties.

According to NORML: Possession for personal use of less than 2 pounds of marijuana is a Class 6 felony, punishable by a minimum sentence of 4 months, a maximum sentence of 2 years, and a minimum fine of $1000 or a fine to exhaust the proceeds of the drug offense. If probation is granted after conviction for this offense, the offender will face a mandatory sentence of 24 hours of community service.

Possession for personal use of 2-4 pounds of marijuana is a Class 5 felony, punishable by a minimum sentence of 6 months, a maximum sentence of 2.5 years, and a minimum fine of $1000 or a fine to exhaust the proceeds of the drug offense. If probation is granted after conviction for this offense, the offender will face a mandatory sentence of 24 hours of community service.

Possession for personal use of more than 4 pounds of marijuana is a Class 4 felony, punishable by a minimum sentence of 1 year, a maximum sentence of 3.75 years, and a minimum fine of $1000 or a fine to exhaust the proceeds of the drug offense. If probation is granted after conviction for this offense, the offender will face a mandatory sentence of 24 hours of community service.

Access to Medical Marijuana

According to the Marijuana Policy Project, medical marijuana can be accessed through state licensed dispensaries provided that the patient shows proof of state registration for permissions to purchase. To register, a patient currently under care of a physician must have a “recommendation” written by a doctor that has examined the patient recently, and then obtain a license at a medical marijuana licensing facility. More information coming soon.

Current Law Pertaining to Hemp:

Cultivation of Hemp, a variety of sativa L. cannabis with less than 1% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been authorized by the state for medical purposes, industry and educational research.