Doctors call on AHCCCS to add treatment options for opioid addiction
The Arizona Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee will consider Thursday whether to recommend expanding the number of medications to treat opioid dependency that are available to Medicaid enrollees.
Medical marijuana purchases outpace users
The number of pounds of medical marijuana being purchased and consumed in Arizona is increasing twice as fast as the number of people legally entitled to use it.
Court to determine whether hashish legal for medical marijuana patients
The Arizona Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether extracts of marijuana used to make edible products for patients remains legal.
State seeks to outlaw hashish for medical marijuana patients
In new court filings, Attorney General Mark Brnovich contends that the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act approved by voters in 2010 legalized only the use of the leaves and flowers and preparations of them by those who have a doctor's recommendation to use the drug.
Ducey signs bill mandating two recess periods for students
Gov. Doug Ducey today signed legislation mandating two recess periods a day for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. And youngsters in half-day kindergarten programs will get at least one break.
Mass shooting could spur Arizona gun law changes
Every day since 17 students and faculty were gunned down in a Florida high school, Arizona’s Democratic legislators have pleaded with their Republican colleagues to do something, anything, to make sure such a mass shooting never happens again.
Investing in preventative health care would pay huge dividends
If I had one wish for the future of health and health care, it would be a simple one. Lawmakers and agency policymakers would use evidence to develop public policy. Policy decisions and resource allocation would be driven by data and prioritized by long-term return on investment.
Medical marijuana patients claim state sets too high of price for permit
Calling the fees illegally high, an attorney for medical marijuana patients is asking the Court of Appeals to force state health officials to slash what they charge people to get the state-issued permit they need to buy the drug.
Agencies make case for new spending, but most requests likely doomed
Gov. Doug Ducey is looking for good policies and savings. But requests for money from the general fund, the state’s all-purpose kitty, are tougher to justify than those that come from other sources, like grants and fees.
Arizona on course to relive health care ordeal if Congress cuts Medicaid
Arizona already knows what will happen if its Medicaid program falters. In 2011, the state froze enrollment for childless adults in its Medicaid system, leading to more than 160,000 left without coverage in a relatively short amount of time.
Will Humble: In the thick of Arizona’s battle over marijuana
Will Humble, the former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, is perhaps best known as the guy who got Arizona’s medical marijuana program off the ground.
Former health director urges Arizona to document effects of Medicaid reforms
The state’s former health director has a simple plea to those implementing Arizona’s Medicaid reforms: Track what happens and report it.