Tempe Passes Law to Allow More Dispensaries to Open

The Tempe City Council has voted to lift the limit of medical marijuana dispensaries permitted in the city. The vote was 4 – 2 in favor of lifting the dispensary cap. Currently, there are three dispensaries open in Tempe, and now a few more could be coming soon.

Mayor Mark Mitchell and Vice Mayor Robin Arredondo-Savage were the two “no” votes, according to KJZZ Phoenix.  ASU president Michael Crow and the Tempe Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking & Drug Use submitted letters regarding their opposition of more dispensaries in Tempe.

Tempe Councilman David Schapira said, “I don’t think it makes sense to have an arbitrary numeric cap, what’s more important to me frankly, mayor, is where they’re located, not how many there are exactly.”

The revised ordinance requires that:

• Dispensaries are at least 1-mile apart
• No dispensaries are within 1,500-feet of schools and daycare centers
• No dispensaries are within ¼ mile of residential areas

When measuring for distance, all measurements are calculated in a straight line.

As of now, there are no estimates as to how many dispensaries will open in Tempe under the new ordinance.

Photo: iamasundevil.asu.edu