[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”]
With the passage in 2010 of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, the use of marijuana for certain medical conditions, as prescribed by a physician, became legal. But there are a host of restrictions on the use of the drug, and the law in Arizona is a far cry from the recently enacted statutes in Washington and Colorado which legalized recreational use of marijuana in those states. A recent example of the limitations was reported involving the arrest of two men who held medical marijuana cards.
According to the report, the men held cards permitting them to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana, and police say they went beyond the legal limits allowed under the law. Detectives seized 48 marijuana plants and five pounds of packed marijuana, and claim that the men were engaged in an operation which sold the substance to anyone who would buy it. They are charged with illegal possession, sale and cultivation.
For those who might be curious about the effect of the law, we thought we would point out a few of the other activities that the Act does not legalize, including the following:
Performing any act under the influence of marijuana that would be negligent, or that would otherwise be illegal, including driving under the influence;
Possession or use of marijuana in a school zone, or on a the grounds of a school;
- Smoking marijuana in a public place;
- Requiring that an employer authorize use of marijuana in the workplace; or
- Requiring that a property owner allow the use of marijuana on his or her property.
The Act was specifically designed to permit people suffering from certain qualifying conditions to obtain and use the substance legally. Those “debilitating medical conditions” are either spelled out in the statute, or have been approved as such by the Arizona Department of Health Services. In any case, supplying marijuana to your friends, selling it, possessing more than the allowed amount, or possession and/or using it in certain places can land you in a lot of trouble, even if you are the holder of a valid registry identification card.
If you have been charged with an offense relating to the possession, use, cultivation or sale of marijuana, contact a Phoenix marijuana lawyer today.
Law Offices of David A. Black
40 North Central Avenue #1850
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(480) 280-8028
[/column]