By Lindsey Collom | The Arizona Republic
An Arizona senator has withdrawn a bill that would require police to destroy medical marijuana seized or forfeited in criminal investigations.
Instead of attacking the issue of what police should do with seized medical-marijuana plants and drugs through legislation, policy makers have decided to let it play out in the courts.
Sen. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix, withdrew Senate Bill 1441 after a state prosecuting-attorneys group outlined a potential conflict between state and federal laws and joined the case that gave rise to Yee’s bill. The bill was the outgrowth of a case in which a Yuma County Superior Court judge ordered the Sheriff’s Office to return marijuana seized from a California woman who had permission to use the drug for medical purposes. That case is now before the Arizona Supreme Court.
Prior to the withdrawal, the bill had stalled in the House Rules Committee, in part because of due-process concerns echoed by dispensary owners and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona.
Also: Report: Marijuana may bring jobs to AZ
If you’d like to discuss medical marijuana, contact Ryan Hurley, director of the Rose Law Group Medical Marijuana Dept., rhurley@roselawgroup.com
