March 19, 2013 | Case

Brief Filed Challenging Constitutionality of Arizona Medical Marijuana Act

Judicial Watch filed an amicus curiae brief (White Mountain Health Center v. County of Maricopa (1 CA-CV 12-0831)) on March 19, 2013, in the Court of Appeals of the State of Arizona, District One, in support of Maricopa County and the State of Arizona’s lawsuit appealing a December, 4, 2012, Maricopa Superior Court ruling that the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA) did not conflict with federal drug laws.

In its amicus curiae brief Judicial Watch maintains that the AMMA, which permits the use of marijuana for medical purposes, is a direct violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), making it unlawful to “manufacture, distribute, or dispense, or possess with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense” any controlled substance:

“Federal law is unambiguous in that marijuana is a controlled substance regulated under a comprehensive statutory and regulatory scheme. As such, the production, sale, and use of marijuana, other than as part of a federally authorized research program, is a violation of federal law regardless of any state law permitting such activities even in a limited manner.”

Judicial Watch further argues that, the Superior Court ruling notwithstanding, the CSA preempts the AMMA under the “Supremacy Clause,” which makes federal laws “supreme” to contrary any state law. Citing the CSA provisions, Judicial Watch maintains:

“… where a ‘positive conflict’ exists between the CSA and a state law such that ‘the two cannot consistently stand together, the CSA ‘shall be construed’ as evidencing Congressional intent to ‘occupy the field’ in which the CSA provision operates ….”

In 2010, Arizona voters narrowly approved a ballot measure allowing people with certain debilitating medical conditions to use medical marijuana. Under the law, state health officials can license up to 126 dispensaries in designated areas. In June, 2012, the White Mountain Health Center sued Maricopa County for allegedly stalling approval of its zoning application to prevent it from seeking a state operating license for a dispensary. In December, 2004, the Maricopa Superior Court ruled in White Mountain’s favor.

In its amicus brief defending the Maricopa County appeal, Judicial Watch argues:

“Maricopa County cannot issue a zoning permit for a facility for the cultivation and dispensing of marijuana any more than it could issue a permit to establish a ‘meth lab’ or a print shop for counterfeit currency. Our federal system does not permit that.”