I just read an article about Arizona medical marijuana dispensary owners who were wary to support marijuana legalization efforts in their state. I was saddened to read an article like that, because I personally believe that marijuana legalization should be supported by everyone. The article I read questioned the motives of the dispensary owner’s opinions, suggesting that the medical marijuana dispensary owners didn’t want recreational outlets competing for their customers.
AZCentral.Com stated in it’s article, “some other dispensary operators said they are concerned about their financial investments and question how legalizing recreational use, which could increase the number of dispensaries, would impact their bottom line.” If that is true, it breaks my heart because medical marijuana dispensary owners should believe in compassion first, and profit second. However, a stance suggested by the article would lead one to believe that some medical marijuana dispensary owners believe it should be the other way around.
What leery medical marijuana dispensary owners should realize is that while there would certainly be more outlets for their customers to go to, there would also be a larger customer base. Right now only certain conditions are approved to participate in medical marijuana programs. But if marijuana was legal, people could use marijuana for medical purposes for any ailment they wanted to. I don’t think that just because marijuana becomes legal that people will stop using dispensaries.
Medical marijuana dispensaries are going to continue to have a medical focus, while recreational outlets will put more emphasis on the social aspect of marijuana use. As long as medical marijuana dispensary owners do a good job, provide a quality service to the patient, and have quality meds on their shelves, they should have nothing to worry about. As long as people are getting arrested for marijuana, people should fight to end marijuana prohibition, whether they own a dispensary or not!
