Arizona Dispensary Zoning Laws Abolished by Judge

Arizona dispensaries now have the ability to open their dispensaries at any location, except within 500 feet of schools, rules Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Micheal Gordon.

Judge Gordon ruled that Maricopa County failed to create reasonable zoning standards in compliance with state law, so they are now forbidden from enforcing any zoning regulations or restrictions on medical marijuana dispensaries.

The only restriction for dispensaries is that they must be further than 500 feet from schools.

Arizona dispensaries will now be able to open next to grocery stores, malls, or in strip malls, for example. Whereas before, strict zoning restrictions forced dispensaries to open in industrial areas, such as airparks.

This all started with a lawsuit which began in 2012 when White Mountain Health Center, a should-be dispensary, and lawyer Jeffrey Kaufman sued Maricopa County after the county’s zoning department refused to assist White Mountain Health Center in complying with the state’s dispensary licensing requirements. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Arizona also assisted attorney Jeffrey Kaufman as co-counsel in the case.

Find all Arizona dispensaries.