To many people, Arizona represents one of the few states in the nation to “legalize marijuana.” Actually, this is far from the truth. The law Arizona has passed is a medical marijuana law and severely limits the legal use of the drug, requiring those who are going to use it to prove that they have a medical need and convince a doctor to issue them the appropriate paperwork to apply for a medical marijuana card. Even then, there are limits on how much they can possess at one time and who can have access to the drug.
Although there are still movements to legalize marijuana completely, none have so far been successful. Many lawmakers feel that legalizing marijuana in Arizona would make the state a haven for drug traffic, particularly since other states around Arizona have not yet made the drug legal, even for medical purposes.
Despite the urban myths surrounding medical marijuana laws, people who are given medical marijuana cards are held to very strict standards as to how they procure the drug and how they use it. Briefly, current Arizona medical marijuana laws allow:
As you can see, this is hardly a law that “legalizes marijuana.” Furthermore, even though medical marijuana patients are allowed to use the drug under these terms, they can still be arrested under certain circumstances, such as when they are driving.
One large problem with the medical marijuana laws is that they have done nothing to address the problem of after-the-fact DUIs. Metabolites of marijuana can remain in the bloodstream for weeks after the drug is ingested or smoked. Therefore, if a driver is pulled over and tested, he or she may show positive for marijuana even if the person did not smoke for days before the arrest. Unfortunately, Arizona has done nothing to address this problem at present.
Alex Lane represents those who have been arrested for DUIs involving medical marijuana. Contact him today for help with your case.
If you have been charged with a DUI, drug charge, sex crime or any serious criminal offense, let an experienced defense team fight for you. Schedule a consultation with one of our partners today. Call (480) 562-3482 or send an email.