KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON WOULD-BE DISPENSARIES

EDITOR:

I recently attended a public meeting regarding the zoning restrictions
the Town of Prescott Valley will enact upon medical marijuana
dispensaries. Keeping a sensible zoning restriction on the size of
growing operations is very important! The very wealthy and mostly
out-of-state interests that were represented by attorneys and real
estate agents who took turns pleading for 10,000-plus-square-foot
growing operations here in Prescott Valley are not just looking to
provide for the patients with legitimate medical need here locally!

They are in fact trying to use Prescott Valley to provide marijuana to
distribute all over the state (and, in my opinion, promote
redistribution to the black market).

I will also take an educated guess that these are the same individuals
who would set up unscrupulous affiliations with "doctors" to try and
get every recreational marijuana user in our town and our state
qualified through the chronic pain loophole, as this would increase
their profits - that being their only true interest in this industry.

This would only allow these quasi-legal drug lords who have proven
their intentions elsewhere to get richer and do so at the expense of
our public safety. Having thousands of marijuana plants growing right
here in excess of the local demand is an obvious security problem and
safety issue!

I truly hope all Arizona cities and towns look closely at how imposing
responsible zoning restrictions right now can keep these unethical
profiteers from taking control of this industry here, and turn us into
just another out-of-control medical marijuana state!

We have a unique opportunity to set an example to the rest of our
nation of how this can be done correctly, and I know I'm not alone
when I say that we don't want to see it wasted!

David Schuff

Prescott Valley