An Arizona court has ruled that patients in the state who use medical marijuana could be in trouble and even face arrest if they possess hashish.

Hashish, an extract of the cannabis plant that contains concentrations of the psychoactive resins, is not mentioned or included by name in a voter-approved pot initiative passed in 2010.

It was on Tuesday that the Arizona Court of Appeals handed down the decision in the case of Rodney Jones.

Jones, who is a cardholder in the state’s medical marijuana program, was arrested in March 2013 at a Prescott hotel and had been indicted on a count each of cannabis possession and drug paraphernalia possession.

According to police, Jones had been found with 0.05 ounces of hashish in a jar. He spent a year in jail and waived his right to a jury trial in the case.

He was later on convicted and sentenced to more than two years in prison with credit for time served.

Jones appealed and sought to have the conviction overturned by the court however it was rejected by two of the judges on the three-member appeals court panel.

The ruling argued, “If the drafters wanted to immunize the possession of hashish they should have said so. We cannot conclude that Arizona voters intended to do so.”


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