Senate Bill 1466 (SB1466), the Medical Omnibus Bill, officially passed after the legislature committee voted 7-2 in favor of the bill yesterday.
Some key points of SB1466 are:
Reduction of medical marijuana card costs to $50, with renewals every 2 years.
100% waiver of medical marijuana card costs to veterans
Adding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) into statute
Adds Autism Spectrum Disorder as a debilitating medical condition
Alignment of the advertising, packaging, and branding to match the rules in Smart and Safe
Requires protections for children – child resistant packaging, prohibits advertising attractive to children, adds advertising restrictions
Alignment of the definition of marijuana and marijuana products.
Codifying the use of telehealth
Updating the details of the requirements in the QR Code and track/traceability
Provide a unified cover sheet for COAs to simplify consumer/patient experience
Removes a government-led lab testing council and replaces with a full public forum
“ADA supports SB1466, which gives veterans the ability to acquire a medical marijuana card at no cost,” said Ann Torrez, executive director of the ADA. “Often veterans suffer from PTSD, insomnia, heightened anxiety and chronic pain. A free medical marijuana card gives veteran patients access to medical cannabis treatment for any of these common conditions.”
The ADA’s primary mission is to promote and advocate for a safe, consumer-focused cannabis industry in Arizona,” said Torrez. “We aim to continuously educate consumers on the importance of visiting only licensed dispensaries and consuming only THC and CBD products that have been lab tested and approved.”
The bill is being considered at a time when Arizona’s medical cannabis industry is enduring sluggish sales.
In October, medical marijuana sales in the state amounted to a little more than $31 million, which was the eighth consecutive month of decline.
Meanwhile, the state’s adult-use cannabis market, which launched in January 2021, continues to thrive.
In that same month, recreational cannabis sales in Arizona totaled $73.8 million, which was a new high.
We are currently just waiting on the governor to sign off.
TIMELINE
May 15, 2023 | House
Constitutional and in Proper form - Rules (House)
House Majority Caucus: Y
House Minority Caucus: Y
Mar 20, 2023 | House
Do Pass - Health & Human Services (House)
Mar 08, 2023 | House
House Second Reading
Mar 07, 2023 | House
Referred to Health & Human Services (House)
Referred to Rules (House)
House First Reading.
Mar 03, 2023 | House
Transmit to House
Mar 02, 2023 | Senate
Third Read and passed (Senate)
Mar 01, 2023 | Senate
Do Pass Amended (Senate)
Feb 21, 2023 | Senate
Senate Minority Caucus: Y
Senate Majority Caucus: Y
Feb 20, 2023 | Senate
Proper for Consideration - Rules (Senate)
Feb 15, 2023 | Senate
Do Pass Amended - Health and Human Services (Senate)
Feb 02, 2023 | Senate
Senate Second Reading
Feb 01, 2023 | Senate
Referred to Health and Human Services (Senate)
Referred to Rules (Senate)
Senate First Reading