Arizona Medical Marijuana Act becomes law

by Michelle Ye Hee Lee - Dec. 15, 2010 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic

Gov. Jan Brewer signed several ballot propositions into law Tuesday, including Proposition 203.

Prop. 203, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, goes into effect today. This means the state health department has until April 16 to finish its rule-making process, two weeks more than it had expected.

The Arizona Department of Health Services will publish the first draft of its rules Friday, kicking off a public-comment period.

The narrow vote margin for Proposition 112 triggered the first mandated recount in a statewide general election.

Counties are now finishing up recounts for Prop. 112, which would shorten the deadline to file ballot petitions by two months, said Jim Drake, assistant secretary of state. A judge will hear recanvassed results Monday and announce the final results.