Pubdate: Thu, 28 Jan 2016
Source: Tucson Weekly (AZ)
Copyright: 2016 Tucson Weekly
Contact:  http://www.tucsonweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/462
Author: Maria Ines Tarcena

THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

Continuing the state's anti-marijuana trend, several proposals by GOP 
lawmakers want to make it make it harder for patients to access medical weed

As it's been the tradition for several years, the 2016 legislative 
session began with nearly a handful of proposals hoping to burn down the 
state's medical marijuana industry. Whether any of them will see the 
light of day is still up for debate, but the bills still fired up 
medical weed advocates, who are sick and tired of state lawmakers 
continuously attacking the 2010 voter-approved Arizona Medical Marijuana 
Act.

Perhaps the most offensive proposal that asked to amend the AMMA, 
according to Tucson naturopathic doctor Heather Moroso, was bill HCR 
2019 by state Rep. Jay Lawrence, a Republican from Scottsdale. The 
bill-which Lawrence ended up dropping on Friday-would have prohibited 
physicians who practice alternative medicine, such as naturopathy and 
homeopathy, from prescribing medical marijuana, leaving only doctors of 
medicine and osteopathy as options.

"Medical marijuana is not something that is taught in medical school. [A 
naturopathist] already knows herbs. What is [Lawrence's] logic? [That] 
MDs are more qualified," Moroso says. Plus, she says, it is not likely a 
doctor will prescribe medical marijuana. Doctors working at 
federally-funded organizations can lose their license if they prescribe 
medical weed to a patient, because at a national level marijuana is 
still a Schedule 1 drug-meaning it is considered more harmful than 
methamphetamine.

With more than 87 percent of medical marijuana patients getting their 
prescriptions from either a naturopath or a homeopath, according to the 
Arizona Department of Health Services' 2015 annual report-the bill was a 
clear attempt to greatly limit the flow of medical marijuana cards. And, 
without 87 percent of customers, marijuana dispensaries would nearly go 
extinct.

As of AZDHS' last count in July 2015, there are more than 80,000 
Arizonans with medical marijuana cards-an all-time high. Last year, 
there were about 65,000 registered patients.

Lawrence's whole argument for his bill was that there are physicians who 
wrongfully prescribe medical cannabis. He later told the Arizona Capitol 
Times that he became aware this isn't the case, as physicians review 
medical records prior to issuing a weed referral.

Moroso agrees that there are people in the field who may issue medical 
marijuana recommendations left and right, without much medical depth. 
But this shouldn't make other physicians like herself a target for tough 
regulations, she says. She spends at least 45 minutes with each of her 
patients, carefully examining whether cannabis is even an adequate path 
to relieve their conditions, she adds.

HCR 2019 also required qualifying patients to get a referral for a new 
MMJ card every six months, rather than once a year, and made it a class 
2 felony to provide medical weed to minors.

Lawrence introduced the measure as a House Concurrent Resolution, 
meaning it could have become law only if it was approved by voters. But 
first, it had the burden of getting three-fourths of votes both in the 
state House and Senate to pass-since it attempted to change a statute 
that was approved by voters.

Another bill, HB 2061, introduced by state Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, 
would remove pregnant women from the list of patients who qualify for 
medical weed.

"This [bill] has a tremendous impact on women's rights and medical 
rights ... [it is] targeting women," says Mikel Weisser, state director 
for the Arizona chapter of National Organization for the Reform of 
Marijuana Laws, or NORML.

This proposal gained more momentum than Lawrence's former bill. The 
measure was assigned to a committee, went through two readings and was 
scheduled to a hearing on Jan. 19 that was later canceled, Weisser says.

HB 2404: The bill by Republican state Rep. Vince Leach wants to get rid 
of a discount on medical marijuana card fees for food stamp recipients. 
Currently, people on food stamps pay the state $75 instead of the 
regular $150.

HB 2405: Leach is double-dipping with this one. The measure is trying to 
prohibit marijuana cultivation in roofless facilities, and overall limit 
where marijuana is grown.

This story is an updated version of the MMJ article that ran in our Jan. 
28 print edition.
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MAP posted-by: Matt