YOUNGTOWN INITIATES ZONING FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

Youngtown is one of many Valley municipalities cultivating rules and
regulations about medical marijuana dispensaries.

Arizona voters approved the use of medical marijuana during balloting
Nov. 2, making Arizona the 15th state to legalize medical marijuana.

Youngtown officials are in the process of vetting zoning changes to
the town code that will restrict where dispensaries can operate and
who is allowed to prescribe the medicine.

Town Manager Lloyce Robinson said she and other town officials are
formulating the parameters the town council will approve in late January.

However, those hoping to get into the medical-marijuana business will
also have to comply with rules being formulated by the Arizona
Department of Health Services, which dictates who can prescribe and
receive a prescription for medical marijuana and how to ensure
facilities are secure.

Robinson and Deputy Town Clerk Diane Cordova led a citizen's review
meeting Monday, allowing interested residents to get information on
setting up their own dispensaries. No residents attended the meeting.

However, Robinson said Wally Simmons, owner of Women's International
Pharmacy, 12012 N. 111th Ave., has expressed interest in opening a
medical-marijuana dispensary.

Simmons, who was traveling on business, could not be reached by
telephone.

In addition to the overhead costs to start a medical-marijuana shop,
Robinson said business owners must pay a $300 annual medical-marijuana
dispensary fee. They must also pay a $300 annual cultivation, infusion
or manufacturing facility fee, although grow facilities will only be
allowed in heavy industrial or agriculturally zoned areas, which does
not include Youngtown.

Youngtown will allow dispensaries to operate in a C-2 commercial
district, which includes strip malls and commercial retail centers.
This covers many of the city's major intersections and streets.

That doesn't mean every neighborhood shopping center will be overrun
with medical-marijuana facilities.

The state has put a limit on dispensaries allowed in Arizona. The
rules developed by the Arizona Department of Health Services allow one
dispensary for every 10 pharmacies, meaning Arizona will have about
125 dispensaries statewide.

In Youngtown, a medical-marijuana dispensary may only be open for
business between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Operators
would be committing a Class 1 misdemeanor if they opened a shop within
1,000 feet of a worship facility; public or private schools, including
childcare facilities; residential areas; public parks; businesses
catered toward families; and another medical-marijuana dispensary.

Anyone found guilty of violating provisions of Youngtown's
medical-marijuana ordinance could be subject to a fine not to exceed
$2,500 and/or imprisonment for a period not to exceed six months.