Arizona Supreme Court Rules In Hash Case That Medical Cannabis Extracts Are Legal

In a big win for Arizona medical marijuana patients, the state's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that cannabis extracts are legal, reversing a lower court decision.

What Happened

In 2013, registered medical marijuana patient Rodney Jones was arrested for possesion of 0.05 ounces of hashish, a drug made from cannabis resin. In 2016, Jones was convicted and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison; his subsequent appeals failed until the case reached the Supreme Court, according to Leafly. 

The Supreme Court ruling said holders of medical cannabis cards are protected from prosecution for possession of cannabis extracts as long as they possess the allowed amount of the drug. Under the state's 2010 medical marijuana law, cannabis extracts such as hash and oil are considered cannabis.  

Why It's Important

The ruling removes a lot of uncertainty for medical marijuana patients in Arizona. It also clears the path for other marijuana products: the Supreme Court was not convinced by the state prosecutors' arugment that the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act refers only to flower.

The state Supreme Court vacated Jones' conviction and sentence, according to The Arizona Republic. 

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