Arizona Unveils Draft Regulations for Legal Cannabis Market

Arizona regulators have released early draft regulations for the state’s future adult-use cannabis market, Marijuana Moment reports.

The rules come just over a month after Arizona passed Proposition 207, the state’s voter-approved ballot initiative legalizing possession of up to an ounce of cannabis and the home cultivation of up to six plants. The initiative also calls for a legal market where cannabis sales will be taxed 16 percent, revenue from which will cover the market’s implementation costs and then be divided among community college, infrastructure, public services, and “justice reinvestment” funds. The legalization initiative will also create pathways for people who were convicted of a cannabis crime to have their record expunged.

Under the voter-approved initiative, the state must begin accepting adult-use license applications on January 19, 2021. The initiative’s possession and home grow provisions took effect on November 30.

The current regulation proposals cover cannabis business licensing fees, the timeline for licensing, product labeling, and public safety requirements. There is a public comment period for the draft regulations — which are likely to change before final implementation — until Thursday, December 17. Samuel Richard, executive director of the Arizona Dispensaries Association, said state regulators are likely to release at least one more rules proposal based on the feedback they receive.

“They just want to give operators a sense of what the program will look like,” Richard told Marijuana Moment.

Arizona was the 13th state to vote to legalize adult-use cannabis.