Title:
Arizona moves forward with lottery, grants approval for 99 dispensaries
Message:
Arizona’s Department of Health Services took a big step forward today, selecting 99 applicants to move forward with their plans to open medical marijuana dispensaries.
The department had received 486 applications from individuals and businesses wishing to serve patients in 99 of Arizona’s 126 community health areas. For health areas with more than one applicant, qualified applications were entered in a lottery-style drawing to determine which applicants would be selected (video of the drawing is here).
The lottery was held today despite a legal opinion issued by Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, who argued that dispensaries are preempted by federal law. Horne’s opinion followed a letter signed by 13 of the state’s 15 county prosecutors urging Gov. Jan Brewer to halt the implementation of dispensaries.
