Two more state bills are making their way through the legislative gauntlet to restrict medical marijuana use, despite the intent of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act to make alternative treatment more available.
Both bills, introduced by Rep. Vince Leach, R-Saddlebrooke, aim to limit the number of people using medical marijuana in Arizona, but given the state constitution’s restrictions on changing voter-approved laws, they could run into trouble despite heavy support in the Republican-controlled legislature.
The House first heard HB2066, which addresses the overflowing coffers of the state’s Department of Health Services. The bill would allow some of that money to go toward “youth education and messaging on the dangers of marijuana to prevent youth marijuana use.”
Hopefully those kids are as scared of naps, giggles and the munchies as their parents, because otherwise the “dangers” aren’t really going to scare them straight.
While I often profess the need for quality education around marijuana, the concern here is clear: This is a way for the state’s hot-headed opponents to further their agenda and manipulate the public perception of marijuana.
Imagining this “education” with a general tone of “hey, don’t let it take over your life, but marijuana can help with some stuff” is much more difficult than imagining an officer showing kids photos of the cartel members they picked up trafficking thousands of pounds of marijuana across the border.
It’s easy to manipulate children’s minds around the “rule of law” when the biggest danger of marijuana is that the omnipotent U.S. government decided you shouldn’t be able to have it.
The bill ran into trouble on the floor, thankfully, as it fell four votes short of the three-fourths vote necessary to change a ballot initiative.
Even if it does pass, a legal challenge could mandate this “messaging” encourage medical marijuana use in an ironic twist as any amendments to the AMMA must further the intent of the act, which, quite clearly, was to make medical marijuana available to Arizona residents.
The second bill, HB2068, would restrict use and possession among qualifying patients and caregivers should they be convicted of drug-related charges, DUIs or crimes as a minor.
The House Rules Committee, which hears, and promptly ignores, potential issues surrounding the constitutional challenges of bills, voted 4-3 along party lines in favor of the bill despite its obvious contradiction to the AMMA.
On the surface, HB2068 looks like a common-sense way to crack down on abusers of the program, which makes sense with its restrictions surrounding drug related charges. But again, if passed, the bill could simply serve as another way to punish medical marijuana users for completely unrelated offenses.
It’s hard to argue whatever crimes someone committed as a child or even a past DUI could somehow make your choice of medicine a greater social liability. Given the bill’s language, those with past mistakes for which they’ve atoned could have their liberty stripped even further.
There are already consequences for juvenile crimes and DUIs. Adding a restriction on what medicine people can and can’t use is completely arbitrary without the clear motive of Republicans’ my-way-or-the-highway platform.
This article appears in Feb 22-28, 2018.
Republicans; ah yes the villains of all humanity !
When 13 years old siphoning gas out of construction vehicles for my mini bike. Another lighting a cigarette threw the match the siphon hose, it blew up I spent 2 months in a burn ward. A morphine drip and 3 channels was my total social exposure. This story and the outlook at the legislative process, bring back those memories.
First the morphine drip does NOT stop the pain it just makes it so you dont care. Call this SCHEDULE ONE states have allowed a drip call legalized or medical marijuana.
Channel #1 PBS children’s before sesame street, then molly’s midday followed by art program and on to current events at 13 who cared at that time Discussion with William F Buckley & Gore Vidal. 5 drips for that
Channel #2 started with Hog reports prices of pork bellies stock auctions and farm equipment on over to the Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Days of our lives, and so on and so on. 7 drips for that
Channel #3 so it started with the daily crime report on to the Kennecott Copper daily programming with some Temple guidance programming and prayer. Dripped til it ran out or sleep never enough for me.
Bottom line I played with fire and got burned. All of this became from the burn and could have been prevented.
Today it is simple the fire that cause the burn is SCHEDULE ONE. All of he channels play as Education, Enforcement, Business.
We dont see interviews of or Federal Officials asking for rescheduling, Senators Candidates Congressmen. Why is it everyone talks about whats on TV and forgets the fire can be put out by SCHEDULE ONE. When the democrats had the majority they failed to protect and lead just as the republicans, both had hands out where the fingers could get burned. Stop the fire SCHEDULE ONE.
Lets take a look and reflect, prop 203 has generated.
A employer, tax payer and collector, established market, gained public acceptance (marginally)
All of this from the concept that people could help themselves, and helped themselves they did and are doing.
BUT in what ways consuming thats a given, lets look at public entrancement.
I would love to see he Director of the AZDHS/MMj build a bureau inside the Department to handle this oversight with the monies at hand to do this. Work in concert with the State departments Universities AG stay away from lobbyist. Whats left over goes to the general fund,
Not earmarked for anything we dont need the drama let drama stay n the legislative bodies and they will piece it up. We dont need to be exclusive as dolling out monies awarding grants and bullshit like that. We the patient are part of the fabric of Arizona Society too we take from the whole and we will give back to the whole.
The most amazing thing about these two bills introduced by ,you guessed it, another repressive, controlling Republican is that once again an uptight, bible-wielding, sycophant of the wealthy wants to ignore Democracy and the will of the people who voted for legalization of marijuana. He’s thinks that Democracy should only be allowed incrementally and at the rate prescribed by the Republican controlled legislature. Why was the issue to legalize marijuana even put on a ballot if the Gestapo in Phoenix had no intention of ever allowing it to see the light of day.
going in to the house web site looking at the voting on both 2066-2068. It was NEVER CLOSE to a 3/4 majority. The story got that wrong as well as the 10% of education funding.
Here to FAKE NEWS