Tuscon Weekly reports……..While some of the most odious legislative bills introduced at the Arizona Legislature this year aimed at the new recreational cannabis industry have been pulled or failed, another that would continue to stigmatize legitimate cannabis businesses is House Bill 2809.
The legislation would limit advertising and would not allow your local dispensary to publicly sponsor community events.
Although the bill looks like it will not get the three-quarters support it needs to pass in the Senate, HB2809 is representative of the kitchen sink of bad legislation being thrown at Prop 207, which was supported by 60% of Arizona voters.
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State Rep. Randall Friese (D-Tucson), who co-sponsored the bill along with 22 Republicans and seven Democrats, said he believes it would be OK for dispensaries to anonymously sponsor events,” but thinks there needs to be a “comfort level” achieved by the public (and legislators) to accept a wider public participation by cannabis businesses in local cultural events.
“We have to think about the comfort level of the public and how do we get the comfort level of the public to a better place?” Friese said. “Adult use marijuana just started, and hopefully, in another three or four or five years, people will see this isn’t a big, bad monster, but in fact, is helping [our] community…. I believe this builds from them doing it anonymously.”
Arizona-2021-HB2809-HOUSE_SUMMARY_02-11-2021_Health_Human_Services
