By Ray Stern | Phoenix New Times
State Senator Kimberly Yee’s plan to let cops seize and destroy medical-marijuana at their whim appears dead, a political consultant for the dispensary industry says.
Jason Rose, previously a PR guy for the likes of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas, now counts among his clients the Regulated Dispensaries of Arizona Association. The burgeoning industry has been concerned about two of the Republican politician’s proposals — the seizure bill, SB 1441, and a bill that deals with the packaging and advertising of medical marijuana, SB 1440.
As we noted when Yee first floated the bills last month, the seizure bill allowed police to destroy seized medical-marijuana even when the patient had a legal right to possess it. For example, an officer who takes custody of a couple of ounces of pot during an investigation could learn that the patient’s registration card was valid, yet would be legally able to destroy the pricey produce.
Rose says he believes that bill has died due to concerns that it might violate Arizona’s 1998 Voter Protection Act.
That voter-approved law requires that any law enacted by citizens’ initiative, (such as Prop. 203), cannot be altered by the State Legislature unless it furthers the intent of the law. Even then, a change requires a two-thirds majority vote.
The seizure bill hasn’t been scheduled for any more committee hearings, Rose adds.
Yee’s worried the same thing could happen to the packaging and advertising bill, Rose says.
If you’d like to discuss medical marijuana, contact Ryan Hurley, director of the Rose Law Group Medical Marijuana Dept., rhurley@roselawgroup.com
