By Caitlin McGlade and Lesley Wright | The Arizona Republic
Glendale is home to two of Maricopa County’s three operating medical-marijuana dispensaries.
The opening of dispensaries — two years after Arizona voters approved medical-marijuana usage — has come with plenty of growing pains at the state and local levels.
The state took nearly two years, with a lot of legal wrangling, to hold a lottery-style drawing to designate who could open dispensaries.
Holdups still exist, primarily as dispensary owners seek local zoning approvals, Arizona Department of Health Services Director Will Humble said.
The state has 15 non-profit dispensaries operating with several others expected to open within a few days and more than 10 on the verge of approval.
Glendale took the lead when Arizona Organix opened downtown in December. GreenHouse, the city’s second dispensary, at 83rd Avenue and Union Hills Drive, opened in March.
But the lag between the issuance of medical-marijuana cards to patients suffering from specific medical conditions and the opening of dispensaries, led to an unintended outgrowth, “compassion clubs.”
Note: Rose Law Group represents Arizona Organix.
Also: Law enforcement groups decry Colorado marijuana bills
If you’d like to discuss medical marijuana, contact Ryan Hurley, director of the Rose Law Group Medical Marijuana Dept., rhurley@roselawgroup.com
