Arizona medical marijuana drawings use bingo balls
The Associated Press
Arizona officials used a bingo machine with sets of numbered air-blown balls Tuesday as they picked winners from among hundreds of applicants for certificates to run medical marijuana dispensaries around the state.
The 4-hour drawing to pick winners among 404 applicants for 68 dispensary districts constituted a key implementation step for the voter-created health program whose legality is still in question because marijuana remains illegal under federal law. An additional 29 districts only had one applicant each so no drawing was held for those.
Health Services Director Will Humble said applicants allocated dispensary certificates now must file more paperwork and then pass various inspections within the next year before getting licenses to operate.
He said some dispensaries could open their doors within a few weeks if their operators’ preparations are well under way but that it may take others until next spring.
