Last year, Arizona nearly legalized one of its most beloved illicit markets: the sale of homemade tamales. House Bill 2509, which would've legalized the sale of "potentially hazardous" homemade goods containing perishable ingredients, passed both chambers of the Arizona Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support—but in a controversial move, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed it.
This year, lawmakers are launching another legalization effort. Members of the House Regulatory Affairs Committee "voted 6–0 on Wednesday to move the amended bill on to the full House of Representatives," reported the Arizona Mirror. House Bill 2042, introduced by state Rep. Travis Grantham (R–Gilbert), contains training and licensing requirements to address Hobbs' concerns that the previous bill "would significantly increase the risk of food-borne illness." Producers would have to complete food handler training and register with the Arizona Department of Health Services.
