I wish I could take credit for that headline. Instead, the commendation goes to the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff, which reports that the owner of the Arrowhead Lodge wishes to convert his former Route 66 motel into a medical marijuana dispensary.
Owner Tom Schwerin says he saw friends with chronic back problems benefit from the use of medical marijuana. So that gave him an idea:
The main building could serve as the dispensary, Schwerin believes. The cellar would be perfect for a vault, while the small motel rooms could be converted into doctor’s offices and places to cultivate marijuana indoors.
Also, the Arrowhead Lodge is in a properly zoned area and isn’t close to any schools, churches or parks.
Schwerin’s proposed dispensary, which he calls Blueberry MMD, is one of only two sent to the city of Flagstaff for a conceptual review as of this week.
A second dispensary, proposed by a Phoenix resident, would put “Green Medical” in a 2,992-square foot space inside a medical condo complex on the 1100 block of East Route 66.
The newspaper explains that the state of Arizona expected to award one medical marijuana license in each of 126 designated areas, including one in Flagstaff.
It’s not that easy to get a dispensary started. The law forbids any out-of-state interests, and requires $150,000 in start-up capital. The time to submit applications doesn’t begin until June 1.
Arizona voters in 2010 approved a measure that allowed the use of marijuana for medical use.
Lest anyone think Schwerin is a pot-toking hippie, the photograph of him accompanying the story shows a middle-aged man with close-cropped hair. Even if he is a marijuana user, he doesn’t fit the stoner type.
According to the Arrowhead Lodge’s MySpace site, it now operates as an apartment complex and not as a motel.