Kush Kronicles, Allison Stein, February 20, 2020
2% THC Limit, 5% Tax, Bill HCR 2045 Moves On
HCR2045 is a bill that would amend the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. In breaking down and analyzing the bill. The bill proposes, “establishing the medical marijuana classification of transaction privilege taxes and levies a tax of five percent of the tax base on that classification.” HCR2045, would also “require the Department of Health Services to provide grants from monies in the Medical Marijuana Fund.
Well, WHY!?
“For marijuana research studies on the safety and efficacy of using marijuana for medical purposes and the side effects of marijuana use.”
That might sound reasonable (a little). That is until this part, “with a specific focus on the relationship between marijuana use and schizophrenia and the correlation between marijuana use and violent behavior.
The real clincher
Wait, what! Then the real clincher, “Prohibits a registered nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary from dispensing medical marijuana with a tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of more than two percent.”
To summarize HCR2045’s goal is to tax medical cannabis patients 5% for correlation between marijuana use and schizophrenia and between marijuana use and violent behavior. And completely gut the AMMA by adding a 2% THC limit.
Not an ordinary bill
However, HCR2045, is not an ordinary bill. An ordinary bill goes through a committee. That committee votes on whether or not to move the bill to the House of Representatives floor. Once on the floor the House votes on whether the bill should move along to the Senate’s floor. If the bill passes the Senate’s floor, then it goes to the Governor’s desk, to be signed into law.
House Concurrent Resolution/ HCR 2045 is different. Instead of going to be signed by the governor, it becomes a proposition and moves to the election ballot, for voters to decide.
Read about who’s behind this bill & more on Kush Kronicles!