Good news to snowbirds who partake in medicinal reefer (because I get my weed lingo from the ’50s) — Arizona’s not going to take your stash away, so long as your credentials are legitimate.

I say this because the Arizona Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that forced the Yuma County sheriff to return confiscated marijuana from a California woman with an MMJ card.

From the Associated Press, via Phoenix’s KSAZ:

The justices without comment on Monday declined to review a January ruling by the Court of Appeals.

The January ruling said medical marijuana seized from Valerie Okun must be returned to her.

It said that’s because Arizona’s medical marijuana law allows people with medical marijuana authorizations from other states to legally possess marijuana in Arizona.

Apparently the prosecution was arguing that federal drug law supersedes Arizona drug law — but they forgot that this is the state that apparently gives not one shit about federal laws that we don’t like…right, Gov’nah Brewer?

brewerobama.jpg
  • Haraz N. Ghanbari / Associated Press

Right.

This article appears in Jul 4-10, 2013.

5 replies on “Legit MMJ Cardholders Across The Country Need Not Fear — Arizona’s Got Your Back”

  1. its a sign of the times, more than 52% of americans favor legalization of cannabis witch is safer than useing alcohol!, if you are registered to vote please sign one of our petitions going around to get cannabis legalizeation on the ballot in 2014…..

  2. Come to Pima county here they don’t care if you are legal or not you go to jail they take everything you own and let the courts sort things out. We are not hearing in the media about all the patients that are being arrested under ARS 13. This is in violation of our laws. Our county attorney is braking the law every time she prosecutes a patient without a 28.11 hearing. The AMMA gives the patient protections against arrest and loss of property. The courts may find in the patients favor but not until their lives have been turned upside down.
    We have been talking with the Tucson City Council on making cannabis lowest police priority. Contact the mayor and your council person and ask them to support Measure AZ.
    Demand that our elected officials respect the will of the voters. We elected them they work for us, our police take a paycheck from us we are their bosses. If they do not want to follow the law and respect the rights of the people then they should find a different job.

  3. and file a lawsuit when your rights are violated!,,,, I did and that’s the only way we will change thease unjust cannabis laws!,,, stop the lies!,, legalize!

  4. Haven’t you heard the joke about coming to Pima County on vacation and then leaving on probation? Someone from the media (I’m looking at you Tucson Weekly) should call the Pima County Attorney’s Office and ask a few simple questions. After all you are reporters and that’s your job to ask publicly elected officials to comment on policing policies. Here are some questions to ask our chief prosecutor Barbara LaWall:

    1. In light of Attorney General’s Legal Opinion of August 8, 2012 which clearly states that all Medical Marijuana patients and their caregivers are not to be charged, arrested, or even investigated if they hold a valid state green card. What is your office doing to comply with the Attorney General Thomas Horne’s legal opinion of August 8, 2012?

    2. Why is the Pima County Narcotics Alliance allowing officers to use “confederate” state ID green cards to make purchases of medical marijuana from co-ops and deliveries?

    3. Who at the Pima County Attorney’s Office gave the OK for police officers to engage in undercover stings using these “confederate” state ID green cards?

    4. Why is the Pima County Narcotics Alliance using an employee of the Arizona Department of Health Services (Tina Wesoloskie Chief Director of the program) as a confidential informant?

    5. Is the Pima County Narcotics Alliance using any funds (grant, forfeiture, tax payer, federal) to pay confidential informants to “snitch” on law abiding MMJ patients and caregivers?

    6. Why did the Pima County Attorney’s Office make a plea deal with Ken Sobel of the Green Halo in which he paid $30,000 plus in forfeiture fees to have all his criminal charges be dismissed? Is this a policy that anyone arrested with marijuana charges under Title 13 can use to get out of their legal troubles?

    7. Finally your Medical Marijuana reviewer JM Smith is very knowledgable about the various dispensaries and their operations. Does your MMJ reviewer Mr. Smith have any affiliation with any dispensaries in Tucson? The following dispensaries are open (Green Medicine (known as SAIT), Green Halo, Rainbow Collective, Desert Re-Bloom, Purple Meds, Desert Healing)?

    b). Is Mr. Smith affliated in anyway with Tumbleweeds Collective? He is a regular on their radio show WeedWednesdays and seems to be treated more as a staff member than a newspaper columnist. Mr. Smith has reviewed all of them so it is important that the readers of your newspaper have confidence that a columnist posting anonymously does not work for any dispensaries or law enforcement.

    I appreciate your great coverage on the subject of cannabis and medical marijuana.

  5. Unbelievable that as long as you pay a doctor for a recommendation to smoke a little weed that you can then take the next step and pay the state a fee for a medical marijuana card which now enables you to go to an overpriced state taxed dispensary and get ripped off again just so you can smoke a little weed. Good god how long is it going to take before all the sheepeople wake up and decide they have been bent over long enough?

Comments are closed.