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State officials on Tuesday will award nearly 100 dispensary licenses in what is a key implementation step for Arizona’s voter-approved medical marijuana program.
It’ll be a process like those used in some lottery games, with a machine with air-blown balls randomly selecting winners for dispensary districts around the state.
Thousands of individuals already have state permits to use medical marijuana, but they’ve had to grow their own pot or get it from other permitted individuals pending the establishment of dispensaries.
The Department of Health Services says 486 applications were submitted for the 126 dispensary licenses and that most met required qualifications.
However, some districts only have one applicant and others have none.
Gov. Jan Brewer didn’t want to authorize dispensaries, but her administration is proceeding after losing several court fights.
