ARIZONA MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM NEWSLETTER Volume 1, Issue 1

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1 ARIZONA MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM NEWSLETTER Volume 1, Issue 1 Arizona Medical Marijuana Program Newsletter July 2013 UPDATING AND INFORMING QUALIFYING PATIENTS Notices and Upcoming Dates Welcome More than two years ago, Arizona voters approved the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. The law required the Arizona Department of Health Services to set up a card service for qualifying patients and designated caregivers. The Department also had to create a system for 126 dispensaries. Last Add to the Debilitating Medical Conditions List August, the Department began allocating certificates, and now there are dozens of dispensaries open. The Department will send a list of dispensaries to patients monthly and include information you may want to know. Look for your opportunity to ask questions and help make this your newsletter. IN THIS ISSUE How the opening of dispensaries affects qualifying patients Patients experience changes in how the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act applies to them as dispensaries open across the state. Page 3 This month the Arizona Department of Health Services will accept petitions to add to the debilitating medical conditions list. The petitions will be accepted July 24-July 31. The Department will accept petitions again in January The list currently includes eight conditions. A patient with a condition on the list may be certified by a physician to use medical marijuana. This is the fourth time the Department has accepted petitions. Petitioners submitted requests for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, Migraines, and others in the past. To date, no new conditions have been added to the list. A petition must include the petitioner s contact information, facts about the condition and current treatments, and other evidence in order to be considered. Petitions that meet all the requirements will go through other steps before being approved. A public hearing is one of the final steps. To learn more about how to submit a petition to the Department, visit Remember, if you wish to submit a petition, you must do so between July 24th and 31 st, 2013 or wait until January Driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana A recent study found that the combination of alcohol and marijuana affects regular users more than nonregular users while driving- Page 4 Your Questions This section answers some of your most commonly asked questions- Page 5 List of Operating Dispensaries An updated list of operating dispensaries- Page 6

2 ARIZONA MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 2 New Color Coded Cards Arizona Medical Marijuana Registry Identification cards are now printed with colored bars. These bars identify each card type. ADHS will not re-print existing cards with the new color scheme. Cardholders will receive a color coded card if and when a new card is issued. The Importance of your Address Some patients choose to go to medical marijuana clinics or certification centers for help with their application, but the Arizona Department of Health Services does not have a relationship with these places. That means any fees the clinics or centers may require are not part of the payment required by ADHS. Patients should ask to have their personal contact information on the application (i.e. address and phone number). The application asks for (and ADHS strongly encourages) patients to use their personal contact information. This way all material associated with their application or the program is sent directly to the patient. These materials include notices of approval or deficiencies, requests for information, updated lists of dispensaries, notices of clinical trials, and this newsletter. ADDRESS CHANGE Please contact us at m2programsupport@azdhs.gov if you would like to change your address.

3 ARIZONA MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 3 DID YOU KNOW? Guidelines and Clarifications to the Statute and Rule The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act limits how much marijuana a patient can possess. A patient can have 2.5 ounces of medical marijuana. They can purchase this much from a dispensary in a 14-day period. The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act does not allow possession or use of medical marijuana on a school bus, in a correctional facility, or on the grounds of a preschool, primary school, or high school. Patients cannot smoke in a public place. FAST FACTS 89% Of Arizonans now live within 25 miles of an operating dispensary. Patients who live within this distance cannot grow their own marijuana. How the opening of new dispensaries affects qualifying patients Some patients will notice changes in how the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act applies to them as dispensaries open around the state. The law says that patients who live within 25 miles of an operating dispensary cannot grow their own medical marijuana. This was part of what voters passed, and ADHS cannot change it. More dispensaries open means fewer patients can grow. Right now, almost 90% of Arizonans live within 25 miles of a dispensary. The Department was able to allow curent approved growers to continue. However, they may not be granted authorization to cultivate when they apply for renewal or make changes to their card. QUESTIONS? The 25 mile distance is always measured from the patient s residential address, not the designated caregiver s address. It is also measured as the crow flies, not by driving miles. Patients can always check if their address is within the 25 mile boundary with the Cultivation Boundary Checker: ov/geocodeaddress.aspx. Current registry identification cards will also display the status of the patient. It will state Authorized to Cultivate or Not Authorized to Cultivate at the bottom of the card. Patients who cultivate should remember they agreed not to give marijuana to people who should not have it. The law also does not allow them to sell the leftover. That means they cannot accept anything when they give marijuana to other patients. m2programsupport@azdhs.gov. Patients can also live chat with program staff Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The live chat function can be found by visiting the program s website, For dispensary questions, please m2dispensaries@azdhs.gov.

4 ARIZONA MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 4 Research and Studies Relating to the Use of Marijuana The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act says patients cannot drive under the influence of marijuana. Doing so is illegal and extremely dangerous, especially when mixed with alcohol. To protect yourself and others, never drive under the influence of marijuana or alcohol. or.06% (a high amount). Similarly, the participants getting marijuana had THC levels of 0.0% (the placebo group), 1.8% (a low amount), or 3% (a high amount). This resulted in 12 possible conditions for participants based on their BAC and THC levels. Neither the researchers nor participants knew who had consumed the marijuana or alcohol or how much they were given. alcohol and marijuana were taken together. Not surprisingly, the study also said that driving errors were common when the driver was under the influence of marijuana in any amount, even without alcohol. Driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or both has been found to worsen driving skills. Alcohol and marijuana lead to more injuries and deaths to drivers than any other drug. The authors of The effect of cannabis and alcohol on simulated driving: Influences of dose and experience studied how the amount of marijuana used and the user s experience affected driving. Their conclusions were somewhat surprising. Participants were given drinks so their blood alcohol content (BAC) was 0.0% (the placebo group),.04% (a low amount), Participants drove in a simulator after they reached the correct level of alcohol and/or marijuana. Researchers studied the results from the simulator. They looked for examples of speeding, crossing over traffic lines, and other signs of dangerous driving. The results of the study showed both alcohol and marijuana caused more reckless driving. This included swerving, slower reaction time, less vehicle control, etc. The combination of alcohol and marijuana made the driving even worse. Levels of THC detected in blood [are] higher when THC is consumed with alcohol, the article explained. The study said that the alcohol made the more experienced marijuana smokers driving worse than the non-users when the ARTICLE INFORMATION The effects of cannabis and alcohol on simulated driving: Influences of dose and experience Downey, Luke A. ; King, Rebecca ; Papafotiou, Katherine ; Swann, Phillip ; Ogden, Edward ; Boorman, Martin ; Stough, Con Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2013, Vol.50, pp [Peer Reviewed Journal]

5 ARIZONA MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 5 Common Questions The Department receives many questions about the program every day. You can submit any questions you would like answered in the newsletter by ing m2programsupport@azdhs.gov/. Check here for answers to some of the most commonly asked questions. Q UESTION: Can I be fired from my job for using marijuana? ANSWER: The Arizona Department of Health Services cannot give legal advice, but the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act says that unless a failure to do so would cause an employer to lose a monetary or licensing related benefit under federal law or regulations, an employee cannot be fired for being a medical marijuana patient. It also says an employer cannot punish an employee for having a positive drug test (for the underlying components). The statute doesn t protect an employee that uses, possesses, or is impaired while at work. You may want to talk to an attorney if you have legal questions or feel you were treated unfairly at work. (ARS , ARS ) Resources Arizona Department of Health Services- Medical Marijuana Program Website: (includes chat function) m2programsupport@azdhs.gov or m2dispensaries@azdhs.gov Frequently Asked Questions: Poison Control Hotline Phone:

6 ARIZONA MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM NEWSLETTER 6 List of Operating Arizona Licensed Dispensaries as of 06/28/2013 Dispensary Name Address City Zip Code Natural Relief Clinic Inc S. Naco Hwy Bisbee Organica Patient Group Inc. 856 S. AZ Route 89 Chino Valley Cathy's Compassion Center 1825 W. Dragoon Road Cochise The Desert Valley Pharmacy Inc W. Industrial Dr. Bldg #7 Coolidge Jamestown Center 3755 W. Houser Rd. Eloy High Mountain Health LLC 1250 S. Plaza Way Ste A Flagstaff RCH Wellness Center LLC DBA: Greenhouse of Flagstaff 460 N. Switzer Canyon Dr, Suite 100 Flagstaff Arizona Organix 5301 W. Glendale Ave. Glendale PP Wellness Center DBA: The Greenhouse 8160 W. Union Hills Dr. Ste A 106 Glendale Valley of the Sun Medical Dispensary Inc W. Eddie Albert Way Goodyear CJK Inc Northern Avenue Kingman Herbal Assist Inc. DBA: Mohave Green 6870 S HWY 95 Ste 251 Mohave Valley The Kind Relief 1500 Coppermine Rd. Page Arizona Natures Wellness DBA: Bloom Sky Train 14 S. 41st Pl. Phoenix Phoenix Relief Center Inc S. 35th Ave. Ste 104 Phoenix The Giving Tree Center of North Phoenix Inc N. 9th Ave. Phoenix Wickenburg Alternative Medicine LLC 511 E. Main St. Quartzsite Zonacare DBA: Bloom Sedona 465 Jordan Rd. Sedona Phytotherapeutics of Tucson 1633 S. Highway 92, Suite 7 Sierra Vista Natural Relief Clinic Inc. 334 E. Main Street Springerville All Greens Inc W. Westgate Dr. Suite #103 Surprise Verde Dispensary DBA: Harvest of Tempe 710 W. Elliot Rd. Ste 102 Tempe Earth's Healing Inc E. Benson Highway Tucson Green Medicine DBA: Southern Arizona Integrated Therapies 112 S. Kolb Rd. Tucson PurpleMed Inc S. Freeway Suite 130 Tucson Rainbow Collective Inc N Oracle Rd. Ste #117 Tucson The Green Halo LLC 7710 S. Wilmot Rd. Tucson MMJ Apothecary 1175 W. Wickenburg Way Ste 4 Wickenburg Cannabis Research Group Inc. DBA: Route 66 Wellness Center 341 E. Route 66 Williams 86046