Approval Process for Arizona Dispensaries Remains Undecided

Arizona, the most recent state to allow Medical Marijuana, is preparing itself for the potential "green rush" seen in states such as Colorado and California.

Arizona Medical Marijuana passed by the slimmest margin of any state so far and will allow distribution of Medical Marijuana to registered patients through state-approved dispensaries. As of now, the state is set to approve 124 dispensaries spread across the state. Officials believe this will cause many hopeful dispensary owners to be turned away. At this time, the Arizona Department of Health, who is responsible for administering the Arizona Medical Marijuana Law is undecided on how to decided which dispensaries will be approved and which will be denied.

Proposed methods for approving dispensaries include: a lottery, first-come-first-served, or the much more time intensive method of reviewing each application. Each application, which includes a $5,000 application fee, must also include the proposed location of the dispensary, addresses for any off site cultivation facilities, security provisions, background checks, and record keeping procedures. Even with these requirements Arizona officials anticipate an influx of applications well over the allocated space of 124.

A finalized set of dispensary rules and requirements will be available December 17th, and those rules will be finalized around the beginning of 2011.