Mohave County Cannabis – Is It Legal & Where To Buy 2024

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Mohave County?

Yes. Cultivators may propagate, breed, prepare, grow, and package marijuana in Mohave County. Adults who are 21 years old may cultivate up to six cannabis plants for personal use at their primary residence. Where two or more adults live in the same residence, no more than 12 plants are permitted. Individuals may grow marijuana outdoors, provided that it must take place in a room, closet, greenhouse, or other enclosed space on the grounds of the residence equipped with a security device that prevents access from minors. Adult use cannabis products cannot be sold outside marijuana establishments or medical marijuana dispensaries.

On the other hand, a qualified patient or caregiver eligible to possess medical marijuana may cultivate up to 12 plants, provided their residence address is more than 25 miles from a licensed dispensing facility.

Marijuana establishments are licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to operate all of the following:

1. Sell marijuana products to consumers, cultivate marijuana, and manufacture marijuana products at a single retail location

2. Cultivate marijuana, process and manufacture marijuana products, but cannot transfer or sell marijuana products to consumers at a single off-site cultivation location

3. Manufacture marijuana products and package and store marijuana products, but may not transfer or sell marijuana products to consumers at a single off-site location

Entities who wish to cultivate marijuana must first seek approval from the ADHS to operate a marijuana establishment for cultivation. The ADHS must first authorize any changes in the cultivation site or the addition of a new location for cultivation. Licensed cultivators may produce, test, or process marijuana products by any means, including chemical extraction or synthesis.

Cannabis cultivation must occur in an area not visible to the public without using binoculars, aircraft, or other optical aids. A locality may enact reasonable zoning ordinances which limit the use of the lot for marijuana cultivators to specified areas.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Mohave County?

Yes. Manufacturing marijuana means blending, compounding, infusing, extracting, preparing, or making a marijuana product. Processing marijuana is to harvest, cure, dry, trim, or separate parts of the cannabis plant. Marijuana establishments licensed by the ADHS may manufacture and process cannabis products.

Individuals aged 21 may process and manufacture marijuana manually or mechanically, including ice water separation or sieving, excluding chemical synthesis, chemical extraction, or transporting one ounce or less of cannabis. However, no more than five grams of marijuana may be in the form of concentrates may be manufactured or processed through the above-mentioned methods. It is also lawful to manufacture marijuana paraphernalia.

Manufacturers shall not write false or misleading statements in the marijuana product packaging or labels. The products must not resemble the form of a human, insect, animal, fruit, cartoon, or toy. They shall not advertise cannabis products that are attractive to children, like imitating or resembling food or drink brands targeted to children.

As for medical marijuana products, the labels must include a warning statement that marijuana use may affect the health of a pregnant woman and the unborn child.

Any cannabis product packaging labeled for sale shall contain a consumer-scannable tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) quick response code or similar technology. This code shall then link to a webpage displaying the date of harvest of marijuana, THC strain, THC extraction methods used, and laboratory reports of impurities in the product, among others.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Mohave County?

Yes. The sale of adult use marijuana and medical marijuana is legal in Mohave County. Licensed marijuana establishments may dispense one ounce or less of marijuana to individuals at least 21 years old. No more than five grams of marijuana may be in concentrates.

Allowable cannabis products include dried flowers, resins, compounds, concentrates, edibles, ointments, tinctures, salts, and derivatives. It does not include industrial hemp or the weight of any other ingredient mixed with marijuana to prepare oral or topical administrations, food, drinks, or other products.

Nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries can sell up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis in a two-week period. This entity can also possess, acquire, cultivate, manufacture, transfer, and deliver marijuana to medical marijuana cardholders. Before selling or dispensing medical marijuana, the agent must access the verification system to determine whether the patient is registered and qualified for the medical marijuana program. The dispensary shall not allow any person to use or consume cannabis products on the property of the nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary.

A dual licensee means that the entity may be both a marijuana establishment and a nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary allowed to dispense products to recreational users, registered patients, and caregivers.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Mohave County?

Yes. Medical marijuana cardholders may have their cannabis products delivered from medical marijuana dispensaries to their residential addresses. Before delivering medical marijuana, medical dispensaries must comply with the ordinances in the city, town, or county because localities may prohibit or restrict delivery within their jurisdiction. They must verify the validity of the qualifying patient’s or caregiver’s registry ID through the electronic verification system prior to consenting to the delivery. The dispensary’s point-of-sale/inventory control system shall record all delivery transactions. Dispensaries must be able to perform the deliveries in real time at the time and location of the transaction.

The delivery of adult use marijuana is allowed, but as of March 2023, the regulations have yet to be created by the authorities.

How to Get Medical Marijuana Card in Mohave County

Qualifying patients, either adults or minors, who are diagnosed with one of the debilitating medical conditions are eligible to apply for a medical marijuana registry ID. The applicant must show Arizona residency to obtain a registry ID. He may present his driver’s license, passport, or any valid proof of residency.

Within 90 days before submitting an online application, the patients will need to secure a written certification from a physician (medical doctor, naturopath, osteopath, or homeopath licensed to practice in Arizona) with whom they have a physician-patient relationship. The certification shall adhere to the form provided by the ADHS. The physician shall specify the applicant’s medical condition and state that he may receive medical marijuana to alleviate his symptoms.

The debilitating medical conditions are:

• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

• Agitation of Alzheimer's disease

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

• Cancer

• Crohn's Disease

• Glaucoma

• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

• Hepatitis C

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

• A chronic/debilitating medical condition or the treatment for a chronic/debilitating medical condition that causes:

  • Cachexia or wasting syndrome

  • Seizures, including epilepsy

  • Severe and chronic pain

  • Severe nausea

  • Severe or persistent muscle spasms, including multiple sclerosis

Not all medical conditions permit the use of medical marijuana. State law thus allows a person to make a written request to the ADHS to add a medical condition to the list. In the request, the patient shall include a description of the symptoms and evidence of how medical marijuana will provide therapy or comfort to the patient.

Arizona Department of Health Services

150 North 18th Avenue

Phoenix, Arizona 85007

How Has Cannabis Legalization Impacted the Economy of Mohave County?

Sales of adult use marijuana are subject to 5.6% state sales tax, the same as the state transaction privilege tax (TPT). Additionally, a 16% excise tax is imposed on the sale of recreational cannabis products.

Meanwhile, medical marijuana is only subject to the state sales tax of 5.6%. The marijuana dispensary shall owe the state or county the TPT on receipts from its sale of medical marijuana and paraphernalia it may sell to its consumers.

Since the legalization of recreational marijuana in November 2020, the Arizona Department of Revenue (AZDOR) has collected taxes on the sale of adult use and medical marijuana. From January 2021 to November 2021, the AZDOR accumulated nearly $200 million in total tax collections, including sales and excise taxes. After that, around $270 million in total taxes were collected on the sale of adult marijuana and medical marijuana from December 2021 to November 2022.

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Mohave County

According to the FBI Crime Data Explorer, there were over 110 arrests for driving under the influence (DUI) made by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office in 2019. In 2020, recreational marijuana was legalized in Arizona. However, no arrest data were available for that year. The following year or in 2021, the authorities recorded nearly 150 DUI arrests.

In 2019, there were 287 apprehensions for the illegal possession of marijuana in Mohave County. This figure decreased to 29 arrests for the same unlawful act in 2021.

As for the illegal sale/manufacturing of marijuana, over 22 arrests were documented by the Sheriff’s Office in 2019. By 2021, there were only three arrests made.