Arizona

1 December, 2019

Current Status: Medical only

Policy history:

1996: Failed proposition to legalise medical cannabis
2002: Failed proposition to decriminalise recreational cannabis
2010: Legalised for medical use only

Policy framework:

  • With a practitioner’s recommendation, patients can possess up to 2.4oz (68g) of medical cannabis at a time, from dispensaries;
  • Patients who live far away from dispensaries can cultivate their own medical cannabis;
  • Dispensary system;
  • 6.6% excise tax;
  • Possession of any amount of cannabis is a felony punishable by up to 3.75 years and fines of up to $US150,000;
  • Sale or distribution of cannabis is a felony punishable by up to 12.5 years in prison and fines of up to $US150,000;
  • Cultivation of cannabis is a felony punishable by up to 12.5 years in prison and fines of up to $US150,000.

Outcomes:

  • $US705 million of cannabis profit in 2019 according to a report by Arcview Market Research and BDS analytics;
  • In 2018, sales of medical marijuana reached $US406.7 million;
  • Past-year cannabis use disorder in people in Arizona aged 12 or above decreased between 2005 and 2017 (from 2.0% to 1.5%).

Arizona3
Source: https://crime-data-explorer.fr.cloud.gov/explorer/state/arizona/crime

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