In November 2010, the people of Arizona passed Prop 203, legalizing Medical Marijuana. This was another time marijuana's medicinal usage has actually passed in AZ. It is appearing like the third time may be the charm, however, since the Arizona Department of Health Services is placing Rules and Regulations into place at the end of March 2011 for Dispensaries and Patient ID cards.

What are the principles for Arizona Medical Marijuana Dispensaries? Applications for obtaining a medical marijuana dispensary are increasingly being accepted starting in May 2011. The AZ Department of Health Services plans to allocate these dispensary certificates predicated on an analysis of Community Health Analysis Areas.

These Community Health Analysis Areas were created in 2005 to align with growing rural and urban areas. In highly cities, a CHAA contains 100,000 people. In a rural CHAA the population is approximately 10,000 people. Each county in Arizona can have at least one dispensary. If just one complete application is received for a dispensary for almost any particular CHAA, then it's approved. If any CHAA has multiple completed applications, a random selection process will occur.

To open a dispensary, the applicants must pass a background check, be over 21, and have been Arizona residents for the past three years. Each dispensary must employ or contract with a medical director. The medical director cannot provide written certifications for marijuana and must provide training to the staff along side providing educational materials/information to qualifying patients and caregivers.

For your state of Arizona, 124 licenses will soon be given out. It seems there may be near 5,000 applications for anyone licenses. One or more will soon be given out for every single Arizona county. The state wish to track the inventory from seed to cultivation to dispensary to patient. That will hopefully minimize marijuana from being siphoned into the entire world of drug dealers.

Each Arizona dispensary will soon be required to cultivate and grow their own marijuana. Initially the Rules stated 100%, but the latest states 70% so dispensaries will have a way to purchase 30% from approved growers, patients, caregivers, or other dispensaries. The 70% being grown must be on-site in an enclosed area and you will have specific provisions about the security in position at the dispensary.

Dispensaries must be non-profit entities  American pie strain. This implies profits can not be distributed to the owners, simply the salaries which can be set. Now, it seems Arizona will soon be specifically limiting the salaries which can be received.

Qualifying patients by having an Arizona Medical Marijuana Registry ID card may purchase around 2.5 ounces of marijuana every two weeks from a certified, licensed dispensary. If you have no dispensary open within 25 miles of the individual, that patient can grow his / her own marijuana. Patients won't be allowed to take marijuana at the dispensary. Arizona Dispensaries will have a way to market edible food products infused with marijuana so long as the dispensaries adhere to specific preparation regulations and they're labeled to show the specific marijuana content.

You will have set costs for the original registration of a dispensary ($5000), renewals ($1000), and a cost for changing the place of a dispensary ($2500). The aim of the Arizona Dept of Health Services is for dispensaries to offer information as well as marijuana. Educational materials will have to be provided for patients about drug interactions, safe usage, and information regarding substance abuse programs.