5 minute read
CANNABIZ
HOW TO TRANSPORT MEDICAL MARIJUANA
LAW IS SKETCHY, BUT SMALL PRECAUTIONS COULD PREVENT TROUBLE.
BY GRIFFIN COOP
Arkansas law doesn’t have much to say about how the state’s medical marijuana patients should transport their medicine, but advocates recommend patients take a few simple steps to increase safety and eliminate confusion.
The constitutional amendment that voters passed to legalize medical marijuana in 2016 did not address how the medicine should be transported, according to Little Rock lawyer David Couch, who wrote the measure.
Couch said his intention was for patients to be able to carry medical marijuana in the same way they would carry other prescriptions.
“People should realize [medical marijuana] is safer than opiates, but you can carry around oxycontin in your pocket and nobody will bug you,” Couch said. “It should be exactly the same thing for a vape pen.”
Since voters passed the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, the state legislature has passed two bills that dictate how patients should carry medical marijuana. Arkansas patients are required by state law to transport their marijuana in child-proof containers and can transport no more than five ounces of marijuana.
Melissa Fults of the Arkansas chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) recommends using resealable glass containers, old medicine bottles or child-proof baggies that are available at the dispensaries and through NORML. Fults also recommends reusing the child-proof containers that products are packaged in at purchase.
State law does not require patients to keep the products in their original packaging, and Fults said it can be difficult to get some products, such as vape pens, back into their original packaging.
“There is nothing in the law that says it has to be in the original container,” Fults said. “Nothing. All it says is a ‘child-proof container,’ so people just have to get creative.”
Patients are also not required to carry their prescription cards with them, but Fults and Couch recommend doing so.
“Do not leave home without your card,” Fults said. “If you have product, you better have your card. Once you go to court, you can get out of it, but who wants to go to court? Nobody. You’ve got to carry your card. The only protection you have is that card.”
While advocates say carrying the prescription card can eliminate some problems, Bill Sadler, spokesman for the Arkansas State Police, said the cards are limited in what rights they grant. Prescription cards do not preclude cardholders from complying with a state trooper’s requests during a traffic stop and do not allow cardholders to drive impaired. Sadler said it is also illegal to simultaneously possess a firearm and marijuana, even medical marijuana.
Couch described the best practices for transport as a distinction between “what should they do and what are they legally required to do.” For instance, Couch also recommends cardholders carry their card, although they are not required to do so.
“Legally, there really is no requirement [to carry your card],” Couch said. “If you are a cardholder and you have five ounces or less of marijuana, you can ward off a criminal offense. But, practically, you should carry your card.”
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To advertise in this section, call Luis at 501.492.3974 or send an email to Luis@arktimes.com LEARN ABOUT MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Since the first medical marijuana dispensary opened in mid-2019, Arkansans have spent $330 million on nearly 50,000 pounds of cannabis. As of June, there were 77,000 active patient cards. Those numbers grow exponentially every few months. We’re still in the dawn of the industry, but obviously a lot of people are sold on the benefits of medical marijuana and undoubtedly there are many others who want to know more. That’s where the Arkansas Times comes in.
The Arkansas Times Medical Cannabis Wellness Expo will be held from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at the Albert Pike Masonic Center in Little Rock. Admission is $10 and includes a boxed lunch from Two Sisters Catering. Entry is limited to those 21 and older. Whether you have a patient card or are considering getting one, the expo will help answer any questions about medical cannabis.
Casey Flippo, the CEO of medical marijuana processor Dark Horse Medicinal and hemp processor Natvana, is sponsor and host of the event. Law firm Wright Lindsey Jennings and accounting firm Frost PLLC are also sponsors. Speakers include Dr. Brandon Thornton, co-owner and CEO of Steep Hill Arkansas, a cannabis science company with a focus on analytical testing; Dr. Brian Nichol, a board-certified anesthesiologist who specializes in chronic pain management; Cathie Hiegel, a cytotechnologist who has years of experience researching medical cannabis; and Melissa Fults, longtime Arkansas medical marijuana advocate and the treasurer for the Arkansas chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
Here’s what you can expect to hear about at the expo: *The pros and cons of using medical marijuana. *An introduction to the endocannabinoid system and cannabinoids as medicines, and the various ways they can be administered. *The cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids best suited to combat PTSD, arthritis and glaucoma. *How Arkansans can work together to protect and expand medical marijuana patients’ rights.
Attendees will also be able to interact with these businesses at the expo: Arkansas Natural Products, Arkansas NORML, Buffalo Co. CBD, Curaleaf, Delta Cannabis Co., Good Day Farm, Greenlight Dispensary, Healing Hemp of Arkansas, Heights Apothecary & Hemp Co., Native Green Wellness, Natural Relief Dispensary and Natvana.
From 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 27, the expo will host a special industry day aimed at the owners and employees of medical marijuana dispensaries and associated industries. Speakers include Flippo; Doralee Chandler, director of Arkansas Alcohol Beverage Control; Erika Gee of Wright Lindsey Jennings; Curtis Winar of Frost PLLC; Dan Roda of ABACA; and Elizabeth Michael and Martin Thomas of BUD Agency. Members of the industry interested in attending should email leemajor@arktimes.com.
