Arizona
245,533
Registered Patient Population |
3.37%
of Total Population Represented by Patients |
131
Total Medical Retail Locations Currently in Operation |
1874 : 1
Patients : Retail |
Medical cannabis is legal in Arizona; patients and their caregivers may possess up to 2.5 ounces of usable cannabis and may cultivate up to 12 plants if they live at least 25 miles away from a registered dispensary. Arizona offers the same legal protections to out of state patients; however, they may not shop at in state dispensaries.
 Patient Rights and Civil Protection |
97/100 |
|
| Arrest Protection |
40/40 |
| Affirmative Defense |
15/15 |
| Parental Rights Protections |
8/10 |
| DUI Protections |
5/5 |
| Employment Protections |
5/5 |
| Explicit Privacy Standards |
7/7 |
| Housing Protections |
5/5 |
| Does Not Create New Criminal Penalties for Patients |
4/5 |
| Organ Transplants |
5/5 |
| Reciprocity |
3/3 |
|
|
Access to Medicine |
81/100 |
|
| Allows Distribution Programs |
33/40 |
| – Allows Access to Dried Flowers |
15/15 |
| – Allows Delivery |
5/5 |
| – No Sales Tax or Reasonable Sales Tax |
4/5 |
| – Allows for a Reasonable Number of Dispensaries |
5/5 |
| – Does Not Require Vertical Integration |
0/2 |
| – Ownership/Employment Restrictions |
1/2 |
| – Provisions for Labor Standards |
0/2 |
| – Environmental Impact Regulations |
1/2 |
| – Choice of Dispensary Without Restrictions |
2/2 |
| Noncommercial Cultivation |
10/20 |
| – Personal Cultivation |
10/15 |
| – Collective Gardening |
0/5 |
| Explicit Right to Edibles/Concentrates/Other Forms |
10/10 |
| Does not Impose Bans or Limits on THC |
10/10 |
| Does not Impose Bans on CBD |
10/10 |
| Local Bans/Zoning |
8/10 |
|
|
Ease of Navigation |
87/100 |
|
| Comprehensive Qualifying Conditions |
46/50 |
| Adding New Conditions |
9/10 |
| – Law/Regulations Allow for New Conditions |
5/5 |
| – System Works for Adding New Conditions |
4/5 |
| Reasonable Access for Minors |
9/10 |
| Reasonable Caregiver Background Checks |
3/4 |
| Number of Caregivers |
1/2 |
| Patient/Practitioner-Focused Task Force or Advisory Board |
0/2 |
| Reasonable Fees (Patients and Caregivers) |
10/10 |
| Allows Multiple-Year Registrations |
2/2 |
| Reasonable Physician Requirements |
3/5 |
| Does Not Classify Cannabis as a Medicine of Last Resort |
4/5 |
|
|
Functionality |
74/100 |
|
| Patients Able to Access Medicine at Dispensaries or by Cultivation |
50/50 |
| No Significant Administrative or Supply Problems |
`10/15 |
| Patients Can Receive Legal Protections Within Reasonable Time Frame of Doctor's Recommendation |
7/10 |
| Reasonable Possession Limits |
5/5 |
| Reasonable Purchase Limits |
4/5 |
| Allows Patients to Medicate Where They Choose |
3/5 |
| Covered by Insurance/State Health Aid |
0/3 |
| Financial Hardship (Fee Waivers/Discount Medicine) |
5/7 |
|
|
Consumer Safety and Provider Requirements |
55.69/100 |
|
| Dispensing |
20.02/25 |
| Staff Training |
5/5 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
5/5 |
| – Facility Sanitary Conditions |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Storage Protocols |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Reasonable Security Protocols |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Inventory Control |
1.25/1.25 |
| Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting |
0/5 |
| Product Labeling |
5.0/5 |
| – Product Contents, Including Source Material Identification |
1.67/1.67 |
| – Allergens |
1.67/1.67 |
| – Potency/Compound Identification |
1.67/1.67 |
| Required Testing |
5.0/5 |
| – Active Compound Identification |
1.67/1.67 |
| – Contaminants |
1.67/1.67 |
| – Potency |
1.67/1.67 |
| Grow/Cultivation |
15.34/25 |
| Staff Training |
5/5 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
2.84/5 |
| – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions |
0.71/0.71 |
| – Workforce Safety Protocols |
0/0.71 |
| – Storage Protocols (Short-Term and Long-Term Storage) |
0.71/0.71 |
| – Reasonable Security Protocols |
0.71/0.71 |
| – Batch and Lot Tracking |
0.71/0.71 |
| – Disposal/Waste |
0/0.71 |
| – Water Management |
0/0.71 |
| Pesticide Guidance |
2.5/5 |
| – Pesticide Guidance |
2.5/2.5 |
| – Pesticide Labeling |
0/2.5 |
| Required Testing |
5/5 |
| – Active Ingredient Identification |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Contaminants |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Potency |
1.25/1.25 |
| – Sample Retention |
1.25/1.25 |
| Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting |
0/5 |
| Manufacturing |
5.67/25 |
| Staff Training |
0/5 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
3/5 |
| – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions |
0/1 |
| – Workforce Safety Protocols |
0/1 |
| – Storage Protocols |
1/1 |
| – Reasonable Security Protocols |
1/1 |
| – Batch and Lot Tracking |
1/1 |
| Product Labeling |
1.67/5 |
| – Product Contents, Including Source Material Identification |
0/1.67 |
| – Allergens |
0/1.67 |
| – Potency and Compound Information |
1.67/1.67 |
| Required Testing |
1/5 |
| – Active Ingredient Identification |
0/1 |
| – Contaminants |
0/1 |
| – Potency |
0/1 |
| – Shelf Life Testing |
0/1 |
| – Sample Retention |
1/1 |
| Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting |
0/5 |
| Laboratory Operations |
14.66/25 |
| Staff Training |
0/5 |
| Method Validation in Accordance with AHP Guidelines |
3/5 |
| Result Reporting |
5/5 |
| Independent or Third Party |
5/5 |
| Standard Operating Procedures and Protocols |
1.66/5 |
| – Equipment and Instrument Calibration |
0/0.83 |
| – Sample Tracking |
0/0.83 |
| – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions |
0/0.83 |
| – Disposal/Waste |
0.83/0.83 |
| – Storage Protocols |
0.83/0.83 |
| – Workforce Safety Protocols |
0/0.83 |
|
|
Covid Response |
14/20
|
|
| Delivery Available? |
6/6
|
| Curbside Pickup Available? |
2/2
|
| Medical Cannabis Essential? |
4/7
|
| Telemedicine Available? |
0/5
|
|
| Excerpted from ASA's 2020 State of the States Report. |
In This Section
The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA) was approved November 2, 2010 by 50.13% of voters. In July 2016, the state accepted applications for 31 dispensary licenses.
Medical professionals recommending medical cannabis must be a licensed physician (MD or DO) or a licensed Naturopathic or Homeopathic physician. The law and rules specify requirements for issuing written certifications for patients for the medical use of marijuana...
It is legal for a patient with an Arizona registry ID card to use cannabis for medical purposes. Patients may also grow cannabis and appoint a designated caregiver for assistance. Patients and designated caregivers may only cultivate if they live at least 25 miles from a registered dispensary; until further notice, however, the dispensary program is in limbo, therefore all patients with registry ID cards are able to cultivate their own medicine, as long as they receive permission to cultivate.
Find local ASA Chapters, Action Groups and Affiliates in Arizona and get involved in local campaigns.
Patients may designate a caregiver to assist with acquiring, cultivating and using medical cannabis. A designated caregiver must be at least 21 years old and cannot have been convicted of a violent felony or a drug-related felony occurring in the last 10 years or that would not have resulted in conviction if the Medical Marijuana Act had been effective at the time.
The State of Medical Marijuana in Arizona
