Pubdate: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 Source: State Press, The (AZ Edu) Copyright: 2010 ASU Web Devil Contact: http://www.statepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3961 Author: Yvonne Gonzalez Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) BUSINESSES REACT TO NEARBY MEDICAL POT DISPENSARY As Arizona prepares to become the 15th state allowing the medicinal use of marijuana, Valley business owners are having mixed feelings about dispensaries opening near their stores. The Phoenix store Medical Marijuana Dispensaries of Arizona set up shop this fall in anticipation of the passage of Proposition 203 -- Arizona's citizen-drafted medical marijuana measure that was approved by voters Nov. 2. The dispensary is the first store of its kind in the state. But Debra Nehs, owner of the nearby business Kidding Around Playtown, is not pleased that the store has come so close to her business. "We run a children's play place and we've already had a few customers express concern that it's over there," she said. "I was just surprised that that's where it opened up." Proposition 203 makes it legal for Arizonans with certain illnesses to be prescribed medical marijuana. After a close vote count following the Nov. 2 election, the measure passed by about 4,300 votes, or less than 0.25 percent of ballots cast. Other dispensaries have started to pop up in the Valley, like the Arizona Patients Association in Phoenix and Blue Monkey Apothecary in Gilbert. Allan Sobol, the manager of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, said in a Nov. 4 interview with The State Press that finding a location to open up was not easy. "Corporate America still is resistant to this," he said. "We checked into a lot of locations, but they were resistant." Medical Marijuana Dispensaries of Arizona is located near Interstate 17 and Bell Road in a shopping center that is home to a variety of businesses. The majority of the complex's storefronts, however, are now displaying "For Lease" signs in their windows, said Sherri Collins, a storeowner in the shopping center. Collins is one of the owners of Other Mothers, a children's, women's and maternity clothing exchange store. Collins said while she voted against the medical marijuana proposition, she is looking forward to possible increased shopping traffic the dispensary will bring. "It's very sad to see how many 'For Lease' signs are in the windows around us," she said. "It'll be good to see the space occupied and people working and coming in and out." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom