Arizona adults could be legally purchasing marijuana for recreational use by the end of the week.
State health officials began accepting applications Tuesday to run some of the more than 120 recreational sites that voters agreed to in November to allow to sell marijuana to anyone.
On paper, the state has up to 60 days to review and approve. But Arizona Department of Health Services spokesman Steve Elliott told Capitol Media Services it’s not going to take anywhere near that long.
“Our goal is not to be a barrier,” he said.
So could licenses be in place and sales begin this week?
“We’ll see,” said Elliott.
The process should be fairly simple as the initial batch of retail sales licenses will be going to shops already set up to provide medical marijuana. These are facilities where the owners and the employees already have been vetted by the state.
But it’s not automatic.
Attorney Ryan Hurley who is with Copperstate Farms, said there are technical issues. For example, those people who are licensed as a “dispensary agent” under the medical marijuana law now need to apply to be a “facility agent.” That means additional paperwork. [Read more at Arizona Daily Star]
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