Pinal County Attorney advises against county workers processing medical marijuana dispensary applications

April 22, 2013

Pinal County’s top prosecutor wants his county to stop processing permits for medical marijuana dispensaries.  Pinal County Attorney Lando Voyles has told the Pinal County Board of Supervisors he is recommending against county workers accepting, processing or issuing permits for marijuana sales or cultivation. He said despite the medical marijuana measure voters approved in 2010, Arizona marijuana sales and distribution are still a violation of federal law. 

Voyles said by processing medical marijuana applications, his office is at risk of losing federal funds.

“When we have grants within our office and those grants require that we have a drug free zone within my office, and if I don’t show that it’s a drug free zone, then I can’t get a federal grant to pay my staff," Voyles said.

The Pinal Board of Supervisors only has authority over dispensary applications in unincorporated parts of the county.

Voyles said cities and towns in Pinal County are allowed to approve the permits on their own. Currently, there are two dispensaries in Pinal County, in Eloy and Coolidge.