Pubdate: Thu, 30 Dec 2010 Source: Daily Courier (Prescott, AZ) Copyright: 2010 Prescott Newspapers, Inc. Contact: http://www.dcourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4036 Author: David Schuff 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 - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake