Wednesday, May 20, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Senator Borrelli disappointed in House Democrats over SB1010
(State Capitol, Phoenix) – Senator Sonny Borrelli this session sponsored SB 1010, a bill that would permit the Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) to inspect a medical marijuana dispensary during the dispensary's normal business hours. Yesterday, the bill died in the House of Representatives.
"This bill required a three-quarters vote, and it failed in the Arizona House of Representatives floor session yesterday as all Democrats voted no," said Senator Borrelli. "Let me remind you that the House Minority Leader publicly said last July that her caucus 'would happily help get the three-fourths vote necessary to close the loophole', noting that they supported new marijuana testing requirements and don’t want to put medical marijuana patients’ health at risk as the audit suggested."
Last year, the Auditor General criticized DHS for not doing adequate inspections of the dispensaries. Currently, DHS is required to give a 5-day written notice before inspecting a dispensary. This is unnecessary as all other businesses are subject to inspections with zero notice. DHS can walk into any business from Burger King to an abortion clinic to perform an inspection, but not at a dispensary. No business should be favored over the other. On top of all the positives of this bill, the Arizona Dispensaries Association Executive Director said they would not stand in the way. Keep in mind that the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still ongoing and people are going into dispensaries, and DHS cannot even go in to check if they are handling everything properly, such as wiping down counters and respecting the social distance.
"I am all for Sine Die and want to concentrate on COVID-19 issues, but since the House decided to do business and work on bills, I cannot fathom the fact that House Democrats weren't willing to pass such a simple bill," said Senator Borrelli. "It goes against what they said they would do, and it hurts our constituents. It is absolutely ridiculous."
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