Arizona Lawmakers Will Vote On Bill To Protect Medical Marijuana Consumers, Here's What's In It

A bill advancing through the Arizona legislature will ensure that cannabis customers are getting what they paid for, reported Phoenix New Times.

House Bill 2050 would require the Department of Health Services to collaborate with an outside laboratory to check whether medical and recreational dispensaries are selling what they claim.

The measure, sponsored by Phoenix Republican Rep. Justin Wilmeth, passed earlier this week on a 25-2 margin, requires the DHS to grant nonprofit medical dispensary licenses in counties where dispensaries are more than 25 miles apart.

While the legislation is mostly focused on ensuring more rigorous marijuana testing, it also addresses the number of cannabis dispensaries in the state.

Sen. David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista said voters wanted to see dispensaries in each of Arizona’s 15 counties when MMJ was first approved in back in 2010. A 2019 law sought to ensure that by directing the health department to issue new licenses in any county that didn't have one.

Arizona & Cannabis Legalization Efforts

In the meantime, results of a recent poll demonstrate a promising shift in opinion on federal cannabis reform in the Grand Canyon state.

The survey, conducted by Change Research, found that nearly 70% of registered voters in Arizona, as well as  Utah and West Virginia support federal cannabis legalization and want their senators to vote in favor of federal reform this year.

A majority of Arizona voters voted "yes" for recreational cannabis and approved Proposition 207 in 2020 as part of the five-state green wave that occurred in last November's elections. Since then, the state has stood out from the pack by quickly implementing and launching its adult-use market in February 2021.

Photo: Courtesy of Florian Schneider on Unsplash