A lawmaker from Peoria wants to ensure that marijuana edibles remain legal
A lawmaker in Arizona is hoping he can change state laws to ensure that marijuana edibles remain legal for medical marijuana patients. Tony Rivero is looking to alter Arizona’s criminal code in order to change the definition of marijuana so that it covers not only the leaves and flowers of cannabis, but resin extract, as well. By covering resins, the law would also include any compounds made from the cannabis plant.
House Bill 2149 seeks to overturn a 2018 Court of Appeals decision that held that the previous conviction of a medical marijuana user for possession of hash was valid. Under the current interpretation of the law, marijuana users are only protected if they use the whole plant or a part of it.
This, asserts Rivero, is not what Arizona residents want. He explains, “It’s my opinion that the voters approved the AMMA to define ‘marijuana’ as the extract or the separation” and not just the leaves and flowers.
He adds that he has no vested interest in the subject of marijuana, but that he is “just trying to create uniformity and clarity on this issue.”
Unfortunately for one individual, the law comes too late if approved. Rodney Jones was the man who was convicted for possessing hash, even though he held a medical marijuana license. He was found guilty of two “crimes” – one for possessing 0.05 of an ounce of hash and the other for possession of drug paraphernalia, specifically, the jar that contained the hash.
