When the Smoke Clears:

CONSISTENCY SEEN AS SOLUTION TO LOCAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

VERDE VALLEY - It is difficult to say what the response to the medical
marijuana initiative will be once the smoke clears, but one thing is
for certain, local communities and the county see it as a regional
problem solved by consistency.

Since the initiative passed last November, law enforcement
organizations, medical interests, employers and policy makers have met
to discuss their options.

They all agree they must continue working together.

This week the Arizona Department of Health services released a draft
policy, which will be key to what takes place. The policy (see related
story) is now open to public comment. A final policy will be drafted
by April 1, after which those wishing to open dispensaries can begin
making their plans.

Yavapai County Development Service Director Steve Mauk says his agency
has several issues with the new law, but feels the biggest concern for
everyone is preventing unregulated growing.

Under the new law, patients with a prescription who do not live within
25 miles of a dispensary will be able to grow their own -- a tough
obstacle given the remoteness of many communities within the county.

"When the law first passed the reaction from many in the planning
community was to zone these things out of existence. But after
studying the law we realized it is actually in our best interest to
have dispensaries, because the alternative is unregulated growing,"
says Mauk.

Mauk says at his biggest issue is not the regulation of dispensaries,
but how they are placed geographically.

"We need to disperse them in such a way that we can limit the
possibility of unregulated growing. We feel with five strategically
placed dispensaries we could mitigate most of the problem," says Mauk.

Mauk says he feels by evenly spacing the dispensaries it would also
eliminate the possibility of concentrations within one area, which
could become a law enforcement issue.

Land use issues such as these are at the top of the list for local
municipal planners.

According to Camp Verde Town Manager Russ Martin, local municipalities
know what they have to do.

"I thing we all agree that we need to incorporate commonalities with
each community. We need to come up with something that is consistent
throughout the valley so one jurisdiction is not seen a place that is
easier than another to get a dispensary," said Martin.

Draft ordinances, some created by local planners and one written by
the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, are currently being passed
around.

"I think we all agree that at this time that for us it is a land use
issue, more than anything," says Martin.

Cottonwood City Attorney Steve Horton has compared the situation to
regulation of adult businesses that challenged municipal planners a
few years ago.

"There are similar attributes to both uses that are now protected
under law, but in which the community has a real stake in making sure
they occur in a properly and reasonably-regulated manner," says Horton.

Martin agrees and believes that if the issue is handled correctly, it
will take care of itself.

"If we address this in a professional, non-emotional manner," he says,
"within a couple years we won't remember there was ever a problem."