phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES JUNE 16TH– JUNE 22ND, 2022 State Licensed Dispensaries & Doctor Certifications | CANNABIS | Bills from p 35 Appropriations Committee and said the bill would put his company out of business, despite its adherence to regulations and testing requirements. House Bill 2082 Prime Sponsor: Representative Joanne Osborne, R-Yuma Status: Passed House Health and Human Services Committee 6-3, Rules 5-3; objected from House Consent Calendar HB 2082 outlines constraints on adver- tising, sales, and promotions for dispen- saries. The bill would make it illegal to market products to individuals under 21 and advertise within one mile of any public or private schools, and within 1,000 feet of any child care center, church, public park, or public schools. It would also bar companies from spon- soring any athletic, musical, artistic, or other social or cultural event unless all participants are over 21. And finally, it would prohibit dispensaries from providing free samples of marijuana or marijuana products for on-site use or selling to someone who is obviously intoxicated. The bill saw support from medical asso- ciations and pushback from dispensaries. House Bill 2828 Prime Sponsor: Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers, R-Phoenix Status: Not assigned to committee HB 2828 proposes the creation of the Department of Marijuana Regulation, which would effectively replace the Department of Health Services in moni- toring and regulating the marijuana industry. House Bill 2260 Prime Sponsor: Representative Diego Espinoza, D-Phoenix Status: Not assigned to committee HB 2260 would list autism spectrum disorder as a qualifying medical condition for a medical marijuana card. The bill saw opposition from the Arizona Psychiatric Society. Efforts to Change Sentencing Laws Stall There were also bids to decrease sentencing for marijuana-related crimes. Such legislation either failed to go to committee or was assigned to a committee but not brought forward for a vote. Senate Bill 1615 Prime Sponsor: State Senator Christine Marsh, D-Phoenix Status: Assigned to House Judiciary and Rules, but no vote SB 1615 would reclassify a drug parapher- nalia violation from a class 6 felony to a lesser misdemeanor. House Bill 2736 Prime Sponsor: Representative Melody Hernandez, D-Tempe Status: Assigned to House Judiciary and Rules, no vote HB 2736 would change penalties for drug offenses, in many cases lowering possession charges from a felony to a misdemeanor. It would reduce the penalty for possessing over 4 pounds of marijuana without intent to sell from a class 4 felony to a class 2 misdemeanor and amend the drug free school zone clause to only extend to people intentionally possessing or using drugs in a school zone. House Bill 2007 Prime Sponsor: Representative Melody Hernandez, D-Tempe Status: Not assigned to committee HB 2007 would give school administrators the option to refer students in violation of drug-free school zones to appropriate at-risk programs instead mandating that alleged violations be reported to an officer. House Bill 2548 Prime Sponsor: Representative Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix Status: Assigned to House Judiciary and Rules, no vote HB 2548 would decrease the number of hours required in a community restitution program from 240 hours to 24 for offenders convicted of having less than 2 pounds of marijuana without intent to sell. House Bill 2792 Prime Sponsor: Representative Pamela Powers Hannley, D-Tucson Status: Not assigned to committee HB 2792 would make it so a landlord could not terminate a tenant’s rental agreement because the tenant uses marijuana. Looking Ahead The number of marijuana-related bills introduced this session pales in comparison to when recreational legal- ization first took hold in 2020. Niehaus said the one change she’s noted is the shift toward acceptance among legislators. “A lot of legislators, even if they aren’t pro cannabis, they are pro rule of law,” Niehaus said. “What is legal in the state of Arizona, they’re seeking to uphold, maybe make the program better, but not interfere with what 60 plus percent of the state of Arizona decided they wanted.” In the next session, Niehaus predicted issues of consumer safety, involving such issues as cannabis substitutes and testing regulations, will be at the forefront in the coming months, but said many issues related to cannabis often bolt out of the blue. “We’re an extremely young industry in the grand scheme of things,” Niehaus said. “We don’t always know what is coming up next.” 37
