AZ Marijuana Arizona Marijuana Info
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) has produced a new report for police and prosecutors to utilize as an “expert opinion” in court cases as a guideline for marijuana flower-to-extract ratio. This comes in the aftermath of the Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling last year stating that medical marijuana extracts are legal.
However, cannabis industry researchers believe the MCSO’s methodology and guidelines are flawed, AZ Mirror reported.
“To me, this is not evidence, it’s data from non-scientists,” said Dr. Sue Sisley, a respected cannabis researcher based in Scottsdale.
Another cannabis expert said that the MCSO’s ratio is only half of what it should be because Arizona’s marijuana extractors can extract nearly twice the concentration from flower as the MCSO. If this is true, Arizona medical marijuana patients could be in risk of prosecution if police use the MCSO’s ratio in deciding if a patient is breaking the law.
Currently, medical marijuana cardholders in Arizona can possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana flower or the equivalent in extracts (aka concentrates). However, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) still hasn’t determined a flower-to-extract ratio. So, for now, patients, dispensaries and marijuana product manufacturers (such as edibles makers), must all use their best judgement in staying within the yet-to-be-established ratio.
“It is the opinion of the investigators that 2.5 ounces of high grade marijuana will yield less than 9 grams of narcotic cannabis, and depending on the process, likely significantly less,” the MCSO summarized. “This ‘9 grams’ includes a 2 gram safety margin for even the most low grade contaminated product extracted.”
