An Arizona bill that would have penalized people who create “excessive” amounts of marijuana smoke or odor has died, a relief to advocates who said the proposal amounted to overreach that would have undermined the legalization law voters enacted.
The legislation from Sen. J.D. Mesnard (R) did pass the Senate in March, as well as the House Judiciary Committee, but it stalled on the floor despite being endorsed by the chamber’s Republican and Democratic caucuses after there was an objection to it passing on the consent calendar.
Lawmakers adjourned the legislative session on June 13 before the proposal could be taken up on the regular calendar, officially killing it for the year.
Throughout the measure’s history, lawmakers heard testimony on both sides of the debate, with proponents calling it a necessary update to state statute that will prevent unsolicited exposure to the smell of cannabis and opponents such as Arizona NORML and the ACLU of Arizona arguing that the proposal unnecessarily undermines the will of voters who enacted legalization at the ballot.
Mesnard, the bill sponsor, responded to criticism of the proposal, including the possibility that the policy could be subject to litigation if its ultimately enacted into law, during a
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
