SHOW LOW PUSHES FOR POT SHOP

SHOW LOW - "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" won the Oscar for Best
Picture on March 29, 1976. On March 29 next year people in Arizona
will be legally allowed to buy marijuana and Show Low city officials
want to make sure the city has a store to sell it.

Most city officials said they want a marijuana store on one of the
city's main streets.

"I can't believe we're discussing this," said Show Low Mayor Rick
Fernau this week at a work session with the city's planning and zoning
commission.

The city board members have to come with regulations and zoning
restrictions before the March deadline or the only regulations will be
those imposed by the Arizona Department Health.

City officials want to make sure there's a marijuana store within 25
miles of the city because if there isn't one, those with permits to
use the drug will be allowed to grow their own, up to 12 plants per
crop.

"We need to have one within 25 miles of Show Low to prevent
homegrown," said city planning and zoning director Justen Tregaskes.

Home grow operations, worries Show Low police and fire officials
because of the fire danger posed by poorly wired high-energy grow
light systems and potentially toxic chemicals used to fertilize the
plants.

The city is also concerned that if there is not a store and people are
allowed to grow their own there will be almost no way to regulate how
much is grown and how and to whom it is distributed.

With a store on one of the main streets, police will be able to better
monitor it, according to Show Low Police Chief Jeffrey Smythe.

City staffers are proposing that marijuana businesses be licensed and
controlled in much the same way the city regulates sexually oriented
businesses. If that plan is followed the city would charge marijuana
distributors an annual license fee of $750 plus $250 per employee. The
fees would be higher for these businesses in large part because the
city would require criminal background checks for all employees every
year.

Still in question is whether a marijuana distributor will even choose
to open in the White Mountains. Under the new state law, the number of
distributors allowed is based on how many licensed pharmacies are in
the state, plus at least one per county. With 12,400 licensed
pharmacies in Arizona the state will allow 124 marijuana dispensaries,
plus at least one per county. If Show Low imposes too many
restrictions or expenses a dispensary could choose to open in Holbrook
which in turn could result in people being allowed to grow their own
in Show Low.

The city is working with other area governments to establish a unified
plan to deal with the issue.

The city council will discuss and likely establish the business
license requirements for marijuana dispensaries at its Dec. 7 meeting
and hopes to enact zoning rules for the businesses in January.