THE STATE SERIES: Arizona

Labeling & Testing for Medical Cannabis

Arizona legalized marijuana back in 2010 under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act.  According to the Arizona Daily Star, there are now over 186,000 medical marijuana patients who consumed nearly 60 tons of the drug in 2018.  For a drug that is sold at an "ounce" level, that's alot of marijuana and it will only continue to grow.

As I scoured the laws for the state, I did not see a single mention of testing or laboratories or anything else to indicate that product quality was a concern.  Just to be sure, I decided to contact them directly and double-check my suspicion.  Needless to say, I was shocked when I contacted a representative from the Arizona Medical Marijuana Program and they responded,

"At this time the State of Arizona does not require testing of medical marijuana."

It has been over EIGHT YEARS and the state is still leaving their patients vulnerable to a number of contaminants that are commonly found in cannabis - putting people with already compromised immune systems at even greater risk.

What is on the label?

  • Dispensary’s registry identification #
  • Amount of marijuana
  • Strain and batch #
  • Warnings
  • Date of manufacture, harvest or sale
  • A list of all chemical additives including: nonorganic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers used during cultivation and production
  • Registry identification # of qualifying patient
  • Total weight (edibles)

How is product quality ensured?

  • Upon request, dispensary must provide a sample of marijuana inventory to the state for analysis

Strengths

  • Arizona makes up for lack of testing by requiring all chemical additives be listed on label

Flaws

  • No final product testing is required
  • Cannabinoid and terpenoid profiles not included on label
  • No state inspections required
  • No requirements for test laboratories

 

Source: https://www.azdhs.gov/licensing/medical-marijuana/index.php#rules-statutes