It’s both a head-turner and a head-scratcher.
If you’ve driven along Indian School Road near the Interstate 17 in Maryvale, you’ve probably seen a sign, advertising medical marijuana cards with different prices for cash payments and different prices for EBT users.
One ABC15 viewer sent us a video of a man holding the sign, saying, “They’re taking taxpayer EBT card money, and they’re giving them medical marijuana cards for it.”
You asked, so ABC15 wanted to get you answers to get to the bottom of it and see if that was happening.
We met Joseph Macias, the man holding the sign Monday. He explains our viewer had it all wrong.
“It’s not buying it with food stamps,” Macias said. “It’s a discount; they don’t trade food stamps at all.”
ABC15 spoke to the office who commissioned the sign off-camera, and they confirmed what Macias told us: they do not accept food stamps or any other kind of public assistance to purchase medical marijuana cards. They only accept cash or debit cards.
We checked the state’s website and found out you can get a discount on cards if you get public assistance.
If you suspect fraud with The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), you can call a toll free hotline at 1-800-251-2436 or 602-542-9449.
SNAP pays for a number of things including bread and cereals, meats, fish, poultry, vegetables, infant formula and diabetic foods.
SNAP users cannot use those funds for things like beer, wine, cigarettes, tobacco or medical marijuana.
