SE Valley likely to get more medical-pot dispensaries

Tempe is home to the southeast Valley’s first medical-marijuana dispensary but more are on the horizon, in Gilbert and Mesa, as the industry slowly takes root in Arizona.

The business of marijuana has been tough going, despite Arizona voters approving the drug for medicinal use in 2010, said Steve White, a board member of Harvest of Tempe, which opened in May.

State legal challenges and federal opposition to legalizing medical marijuana created hurdles. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled in December that the state’s marijuana program does not conflict with federal laws.

But businesses still must navigate state and municipal laws, which vary by city.

It is difficult to find a site that meets requirements, White said. The next hurdle is finding a property owner willing to lease to a business dealing in medicinal marijuana.

White said Harvest of Tempe, near Elliot and Kyrene roads, found a leasing company and property owner willing to work with them to overcome negative perceptions about dispensaries.

In Tempe, a second dispensary is expected soon near Rio Salado Parkway and McClintock Drive. Acultivation center also is in the pipeline.

Mesa saw one dispensary falter after a groundbreaking this year.

Gordon Sheffield, Mesa’s zoning administrator, said some questioned whether a modular building was allowed in the southwest Mesa industrial park, where Giving Tree Wellness Center had hoped to open. Although the city had granted permission, Sheffield said a neighboring business objected. Giving Tree now has applied to open in an existing building a few doors east, at 938 E. Juanita Ave., he said.

Gilbert’s first medical-marijuana dispensary is on track to open in an industrial park near Elliot and McQueen roads, behind Mesquite High School.

Chandler is without a dispensary or cultivation center, and none is pending. The City Council denied one use-permit application for a dispensary in 2011 and has not had an application since, according to city officials.

Southeast Valley cities have attempted to strike a balance by setting strict standards for medical-marijuana and cultivation centers.

Cities, for example, require extra security, ban sites from locating within a defined distance from schools and churches and have designated zoning that dictates where the businesses may open.