Image: Jamie Peachey

Pot by itself was not much of a factor in injury and fatal crashes probed last year by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Fewer than 1 percent of suspected impaired drivers involved in such crashes tested positive for nothing but marijuana.

New Times' findings, based on a records request satisfied by DPS this week, jibe with statistics we reported earlier this month in our feature article about Arizona's zero-tolerance marijuana-DUI law (link below). Drivers suspected of impairment in crashes that hurt or killed people in Phoenix, Chandler, and Scottsdale were rarely found to be impaired by marijuana, our earlier research showed.

See also - Riding High: Arizona's Zero-Tolerance Stance on Pot and Driving

- How to Avoid a Marijuana DUI in Zero-Tolerance Arizona

- Feds Want Blood-Alcohol Level for DUIs to Drop From .08 to .05

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dailytees.com

It shouldn't be illegal to possess a little marijuana, according to more than half of Arizona's residents.

This Behavior Research Center poll, released today, shows that 56 percent of the Arizonans surveyed are in favor of "legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use," with majority support from both genders and all age groups.

See also:
-Poll: Most Arizona Voters Support Medical Marijuana


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For the millions of people who now use marijuana legally under their states' laws, driving in Arizona is technically a crime.

Motorists with pot metabolites in their bloodstreams who want to avoid a marijuana DUI -- which comes with nasty fines and a one-year suspension of driving privileges, instead of the regular 90 days for booze DUIs -- may want to consult our quick primer below.

See also: Riding High: Arizona's Zero-Tolerance Stance on Pot and Driving

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MCSO

Stephanie Lopez had a bag of weed and a pipe in her vagina, according to police.

A Phoenix cop smelled marijuana coming from a car last week while he was on routine patrol, and that officer ended up finding a bag of weed and a pipe -- after the passenger in the car pulled the items out of her vagina.

The officer didn't see anything in the car in plain view when he pulled over the vehicle, but we can only guess that the officer's suspicion grew when the driver pulled over into the drive-thru of a Burger King, according to court documents obtained by New Times.

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Images: Ray Stern

Patrons at the Arizona Vapor Lounge in the west Valley belly up to a bar covered by bongs, not beer mugs, as a staff member looks on.

A group of medical-marijuana dispensary owners at the State Capital yesterday afternoon urged authorities to shut down unregulated cannabis clubs.

Meanwhile, up the road in a small, west Valley strip mall, medical-marijuana patients toked up openly in a "lounge" that has the look, feel, and scent of a Dutch coffeeshop.

It's similar to a drinking establishment, but rented glass bongs rest on the bar instead of mugs of beer. Patrons can buy snacks and sodas, not alcoholic beverages. Colored, dimmed lights hang help provide a mellow atmosphere, A high-def TV plays music from YouTube; and video games are available upon request.

The entrepreneur behind the Arizona Vapor Lounge, BIll Hayes, says his business is a budding franchise: He expects 14 similar lounges across the state to open in the next two months.

See also: Poll: Most Arizona Voters Support Medical-Marijuana Act; 59 Percent Would Legalize Pot

See also: Arizona Organix Steps Out as the State's First Authorized Medical-Marijuana Dispensary

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Arizona voters support the state's 2010 Medical Marijuana Act in record numbers, and would also vote to legalize marijuana, a new poll by the National Cannabis Industry Association shows.

An increased number of Arizona voters support the 2010 Medical Marijuana Act, and most would vote to end marijuana prohibition, a new poll shows.

The poll of 600 Arizonan residents was conducted on January 9 and 10 by Public Policy Polling on behalf of the National Cannabis Industry Association.

The number 59 keeps coming up in the poll. That's the percentage of Arizonans who either strongly support, or just plain support:

* The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act.

* Ending prohibition and making marijuana legal for adults to use.

* A hypothetical future ballot proposition in Arizona that would aim to regulate marijuana like alcohol, making it legal for those 21 and over to use and buy in government-regulated shops.

See also: Prop 203 Appears to Have Won; Remaining Ballots Unlikely to Reverse Trend

See also: Medical Marijuana Is Under Attack in Arizona Again -- But This Time, Voters and Patients Hold the High Ground

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Image: http://roelmoncivais.wordpress.com

Don't you hate when you park near Mexico for a few minutes and end up with 35 pounds of weed in your car's spare tire?

That's what Daren Rucker, 51, of Tucson says happened to him on Tuesday, according to federal court records.

When Rucker pulled up at the northbound U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 19 near Amado, a drug-sniffing dog alerted to his Chevy pickup truck's spare tire. Agents x-rayed the tire and netted about 35 pounds of pot.

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Image: http://www.co.washington.or.us

Phoenix police booked into jail about 3,000 adults and 600 juveniles on a charge of marijuana possession in a recent 12-month period.

The 2010 Arizona Medical Marijuana Act exempts qualifying patients from prosecution, but most Arizonans are still subject to arrest for felony possession of any amount of marijuana.

Phoenix police alone arrest an average of about 10 people a day on suspicion of possession of marijuana.

Phoenix police arrested 2,972 adults and 600 juveniles on suspicion of marijuana possession from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. That's nearly 3,600, or about 9.8 a day, each day of the year.

All were booked into jail, says a Phoenix PD crime analyst. Update: The analyst later got back to us and clarified that while all the adults were booked into jail, less than one-third of the juveniles were booked. More than 400 juveniles were cited and sent home to parents or guardians.

See also: Teen Use of Marijuana Decreased Since Passage of Arizona Medical-Pot Law, Study Shows

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Bill Montgomery and President Obama disagree about how to best respect the wishes of state voters.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is worried he's being forced to violate federal law by implementing Arizona's voter-approved medical-pot law.

Meanwhile, President Obama said today that federal law enforcement officials have better things to do then prosecute adult use of marijuana by anyone in Colorado and Washington, considering that voters in those two states have spoken.

See the disconnect there?

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Image: Facebook

Marijuana plant pictured on 1st Class Collective's Web site

Gilbert police, under Chief Tim Dorn, have taken an intolerant view of the cannabis clubs that have sprouted up since voters approved medical marijuana two years ago.

Gilbert PD carried out the first raid in the state, as far as we know, against a club, busting a small cooperative in Tempe back in June of 2011. (That cooperative's owner, Garry Ferguson, was never charged.) Last month, the agency's crack troops stormed a medical-marijuana club in Mesa, accusing three people of selling marijuana and "narcotics" that are really just more marijuana to qualified patients.

Other police agencies, including Phoenix, Tempe and several outside of the Valley, have busted cannabis clubs in recent months, but Gilbert is clearly one of the leaders in going after these businesses.

Opening a compassion club in Gilbert would seem like a bad idea. But that's what 1st Class Compassion did. It didn't last long. The place launched a Facebook page in June, and police launched their raid on October 25.

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