Medical Marijuana Update

The Arizona Supreme Court will take up the vexing question of whether hashish should be considered medical marijuana, Ohio's first dispensary opens, a South Carolina medical marijuana bill has been filed, and more.

Arizona Supreme Court Will Hear Appeal on Lower Court Ruling Hash Isn't Medical Marijuana. The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of Rodney Jones, who was arrested, convicted, and imprisoned for possessing hash even though he was a registered medical marijuana patient. An appeals court upheld his conviction, saying the state's voter-approved medical marijuana law is “silent” on the issue.

Arkansas

Arkansas Regulators Approve 32 Companies to Sell Medical Marijuana, The state Medical Marijuana Commission voted unanimously last Thursday to approve 32 companies to sell medical marijuana. The commission has divided the state into eight zones, with each zone getting four dispensaries.

Ohio

Ohio Dispensary Sales Begin Today. A Sandusky dispensary initiated the era of legal medical marijuana sales in the Buckeye State on Wednesday, making its first sale to a card-carrying woman who suffers from multiple sclerosis. Four other dispensaries have received their final licenses but have not opened yet. Eventually, there should be 56 dispensaries statewide.

South Carolina

South Carolina Panel Advances Resolution Calling for Medical Marijuana Research. A legislative panel has advanced a resolution urging Congress to allow more research on medical marijuana. The measure asks Congress to "take immediate and additional steps to promote and actively pursue scientific research and testing into the potential use of cannabis to treat other medical conditions and illness by removing the federal statutory and regulatory barriers that prevent these scientific endeavors." The resolution now advances to the full Senate Medical Affairs Committee for consideration.

South Carolina Legislators Unveil Medical Marijuana Bill. A pair of Republican legislators, state Sen. Tom Davis and Rep. Peter McCoy, on Tuesday filed a medical marijuana bill, the Compassionate Care Act (S 366). “This is South Carolina, not California or Colorado, and what the vast majority of people in our state want is a socially conservative medical marijuana law, one that provides medical patients truly in need with relief but draws a bright line against recreational use by imposing strict penalties,” Davis said.

Tennessee

Tennessee Medical Marijuana Bill Coming Soon. State Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) and Rep. Ron Travis (R-Dayton) announced Thursday that they are working on a final draft of a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state. The bill would create a new government commission to regulate the industry and allow qualifying patients to buy medical marijuana at state-licensed dispensaries.

[For extensive information about the medical marijuana debate, presented in a neutral format, visit MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org.]