Nevada lawmakers tour Arizona marijuana dispensary
Mar 22, 2013, 2:11 PM | Updated: 5:07 pm
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Nevada Legislature is considering a bill that would allow for medical marijuana dispensaries in the Silver State.
On Friday, several Nevada lawmakers toured the Valley’s only dispensary, Arizona Organics in Glendale, to get a feel for what dispensaries are like.
“We wanted to come to somewhere where it’s very small and very tightly regulated, just to see how it works,” said Nevada State Se. Tick Sagerbloom, the bill’s sponsor.
Arizona Organics co-owner Bill Myer was honored to host the visit.
“We have nothing to hide,” he said. “We’re very proud of the way we’re operational. We’re very proud of the state’s program, and we’re willing to show it to them.”
Sagerbloom said the Nevada bill is patterned after Arizona’s law.
“It provides for a limited number of dispensaries like this. It allows for growing it. It’s highly regulated, and if you have a medical marijuana card, you can come to a place like this and purchase the marijuana.”
Nevada voters approved dispensaries in 2000, but Sagerbloom said “we’re just getting around to implementing it.”
He said that, unlike Arizona, dispensaries in Nevada will be “for-profit” companies. Arizona Organics is a non-profit group.
The Nevada Legislature is expected to have its first vote on the bill on April 12.