Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a resolution that requires warning labels on medical marijuana, and establishes a medical marijuana tax to fund marijuana research studies on the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana.

Highlights:

• Requires the Arizona Department of Health Services to develop warning labels that are based on the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Surgeon General’s warnings regarding marijuana (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Department to require the labels to be affixed to the packaging of any medical marijuana that is dispensed by a registered nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary to a qualified patient (Sec. 1).

• Establishes the Medical Marijuana Fund to consist of fees collected, civil penalties imposed, and private donations received (Sec. 3).

• Requires the Department to provide grants from money in the Fund for marijuana research studies on the safety and efficacy of using marijuana for medical purposes and the side effects of marijuana usage, specifically focusing on (Sec. 2):

• The relationship between marijuana usage and schizophrenia; and

• The correlation between marijuana use and violent behavior, considering factors such as mental illness and the tetrahydrocannabinol concentration in marijuana.

• Requires the state treasurer to credit each month, the total amount of state transaction privilege tax revenues received from persons conducting medical marijuana businesses, to the general revenue fund (Sec. 5).

• Requires the state legislature to annually appropriate the money credited to this section to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System for non-Medicaid seriously mentally ill services (Sec. 5).

Full Bill Text