TUCSON – An Arizona Supreme Court ruling gives medical marijuana card holders a new defense in DUI cases, according to DUI attorney James Nesci.

“But the defense is kind of screwy because you have to prove that you were not impaired,” Nesci said. “How do you prove you're not impaired?”

Crime labs test for a chemical called THC, which can stay in a person’s blood long after they use marijuana.

“There are no studies that show how much THC impairs a person. That's the first thing,” Nesci said. “Second thing we also know is this, tolerance plays a big deal in that.”

Nesci believes the new ruling may be unconstitutional, but it could be the law for years.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Friday that medical marijuana cardholders don’t have immunity from prosecution under a state DUI law that prohibits drivers from having in their bodies any amount of marijuana or its chemical compound that causes impairment.

But the state high court’s unanimous decision also said cardholders can try to show in court that they didn’t have enough of the compound in their systems to be impaired. An attorney who filed a brief for a defense lawyers group said the ruling was welcome because it overturns a lower court’s ruling that medical marijuana cardholders could be prosecuted for merely driving after using marijuana.

“Now at least they can drive,” said David Euchner, an assistant Pima County public defender.

Beginning in 2012, four states and the District of Columbia have voted to legalize marijuana. By this time next year, that number could well double, and then some. National polls consistently show majorities in favor of legalization, with a recent Gallup poll showing 58% support—tied for the highest level in the poll’s history.

That doesn’t mean legalization is inevitable in any given state, as the case of Ohio demonstrated earlier this month. There an initiative led by non-movement investors who sought monopolistic control of commercial pot cultivation got trounced despite spending millions of dollars.

Initial Dixie Products in Arizona by End of Year as 14,000 Square Foot Kitchen is Built for Full Product Offering in 2016

DENVER and PHOENIX, Nov. 5, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dixie Brands, Inc. (Dixie), a leader in emerging cannabinoid extraction and wellness platforms, Bloom Dispensaries, Arizona's leading group of medical marijuana dispensaries, and an affiliate of General Cannabis Corporation (OTCQB:CANN), a service provider to businesses in the regulated cannabis industry, have entered into an agreement to produce and distribute the entire line of Dixie Elixirs and Edibles products in Arizona.

Which form of cannabis is most prevalent on the dispensary menus in your state?

Some doctors believe moms with a debilitating pregnancy complication could get relief from smoking pot, but it’s not as simple as that.

In early January 2015, Trinity Dogood started vomiting and couldn’t stop.

“I thought I had food poisoning or an awful stomach bug,” Dogood said. But after three days, the vomiting still hadn’t subsided, and Trinity found herself in the ER of a local hospital, begging for relief.

When the triage nurse took her blood for testing, they discovered she was pregnant.

“I was shocked,” Dogood said. The pregnancy was wanted, but unintentional. Doctors released Dogood and advised her to take more vitamin D and spend time outside to treat what they thought was standard morning sickness.

This week I had the good fortune to cover the SW Cannabis Conference and Expo in my first gig with CannabisRadio.com.

“Pot Baron” Tripp Keber, the CEO of Dixie Brands who has been called the “Willie Wonka of Weed” by some, was the cover story on the September edition of mg Magazine, an impressive new cannabis-industry focused endeavor by CANN Media. Thomas Hymes does a masterful job of capturing Keber’s persona and describing the challenges and opportunities for the maker of premium infused marijuana products. Dixie Brands has expanded from its home state of Colorado to California recently, but the company is preparing for a broader expansion:

As 27-year-old veteran Jose Martinez ambled on his prosthetic legs, a crutch tucked under what remains of his amputated right arm, a stranger approached him.

“I’m sorry about what happened to you,” the man said.

“I lived, sir,” Martinez replied. “I’m walking. I’m talking. I’m living. Don’t feel sorry for me. I’m not supposed to be doing any of this stuff right now.”

Just two years ago, after both of his legs and right arm were blown off in Afghanistan when he stepped on an IED, Martinez was doing none of these things. 

“Cannabis is just a guide. I was fortunate to have it to direct me where I needed to be.”

Most businesses require special skills and qualifications from interested applicants applying for a position. But imagine applying for a job that requires you to only wake up and show up to work on time, and also involves no previous experience.

That is only one of the benefits of applying for a job in the cannabis industry.

This week, the Southwest Cannabis Conference and Expo is taking place at the Phoenix Convention Center and providing information, awareness and education about medical marijuana and its growth.