Legal adult-use marijuana delivery begins Friday in Arizona, allowing adults age 21 to purchase marijuana and have it delivered to their doorstep. Previously, this service was only available to registered medical cannabis patients.
The policy change is expected to go into effect no later than January 1 of next year, industry group Arizona Pharmacy Association (ADA) said in announcing the change.
The group praised regulators for their efforts to introduce regulations ahead of schedule.
“Thanks to the Department of Health’s proactive approach and commitment to implementing a well-conceived health care delivery program, we were able to achieve this milestone sooner than expected,” Anne Torrez, executive director of the ADA, said in a statement. I'm very happy to have been able to celebrate this moment.”
Details of the new delivery program are included in the latest regulations for adult-use and medical marijuana posted by the state Department of Health. The changes will take effect from November 1st.
The rules include order and delivery tracking, including time and location, and require delivery drivers to have a way to communicate with marijuana stores. Marijuana products and cannabis plants may be legally transported to the purchaser, but this change does not include the delivery of paraphernalia.
While states vary on whether to allow adult-use cannabis delivery, states that have adopted the policy cite the potential for improved public safety. In New Jersey, for example, regulators last year highlighted cannabis delivery services as one of many measures designed to reduce the prevalence of impaired driving.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, a state appellate court ruled earlier this month that medical marijuana dispensaries can operate near preschools because the state's marijuana law distinguishes between “schools” and “kindergartens.”
Another recent appellate ruling says states can't suspend a driver's license just because someone has THC in their bloodstream. You must be handicapped while actually behind the wheel.
As for the state's medical marijuana market, the program continues to shrink after voters approved adult-use legalization. A report this summer found that in the three years since recreational sales began, sales have fallen to one-quarter of the adult market.
Separately, as the November election approaches, two new polls show that potential voters in Arizona, a key battleground state for the president, favor marijuana legalization, changing the federal government's calendar and cannabis banking reform. It was shown that there was strong support from the majority.
In terms of other drug reform, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) announced this summer that if federally legalized, firefighters and peace officers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) would have to pay workers' compensation benefits for MDMA therapy. He signed a bill that allows him to receive compensation. .
Hobbs signed the bill shortly after he vetoed another proposal to legalize psilocybin service centers.
The measure would significantly expand Arizona's existing research-focused psychedelic law, which provides $5 million a year in funding to support research into psilocybin therapy.
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