Commerce panel backs rural marijuana licensing initiative with cap of 18 licenses
Summary
The House Commerce Committee adopted a strike‑everything amendment to Senate Bill 1057 to create a Rural Opportunity Initiative enabling DHS to issue marijuana establishment licenses and nonprofit medical dispensary certificates to qualified applicants serving unserved rural communities, with a limit of 18 licenses under the initiative.
The Arizona House Commerce Committee on Oct. 12 considered Senate Bill 1057, which the committee amended to create a Rural Opportunity Initiative designed to expand marijuana licensing in unserved rural communities.
A Commerce Committee staff member summarized the committee amendment: the amendment directs the Department of Health Services to adopt rules establishing the Rural Opportunity Initiative, authorizes DHS to issue a marijuana establishment license and a nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary registration certificate to a qualified applicant seeking to serve a specific unserved rural community (provided the community has not opted out), and limits DHS from issuing more than 18 marijuana establishment licenses under the initiative.
The staff member said, "Happy to answer any questions," and no further substantive questions were recorded in the hearing excerpt. The committee did not record a roll‑call vote in the transcript segment provided.
Ending
Because the transcript excerpt only contains the committee staff summary and no final action on the floor, the bill’s amended language and the 18‑license cap are the primary outcomes reported in the hearing excerpt; next steps were not recorded in the segment.
