The operator of Nature’s AZ Medicines is asking the town to allow him to once again expand operting hours of the medical marijuana dispensary in Fountain Hills

The dispensary on Enterprise Drive currently has hours of Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Mark Steinmetz, who has the state certification to operate the dispensary, is asking the town to allow him to keep the facility open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

The town’s original regulation for dispensary operating hours was 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The council approved an initial extension in March 2014.

Steinmetz had submitted another application for expanded hours last fall, however, staff declined to process the request.

The town zoning ordinance requires an applicant to wait at least one year before making the same request again.

Town Senior Planner Bob Rodgers said the town has received no complaints from residents regarding inadequacy of the current hours.

He also said the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office reports there have been no incidents requiring law enforcement action at the dispensary since it opened in 2013.

Rodgers said staff is not making a recommendation regarding the request.

“(The section of the Zoning Ordinance that would be amended with this request) deals with public policy regarding ‘the promotion of public health, peace, safety, comfort, convenience and general welfare of citizens of the Town of Fountain Hills’, rather than the physical characteristics of property within the town,” Rodgers said.

“Staff respectfully withholds any recommendation regarding this proposal.”

Steinmetz says that the dispensary has complied with all requirements of state and town regulations since opening in July 2013.

“Providing reasonable patient access to medication is imperative for any medical service provider, including a medical marijuana dispensary,” Steinmetz states in a written request to the council.

He said that customer feedback and demand suggest that the current operating hours for Fountain Hills are too restrictive.

“The dispensary regularly services customers as far away as Page and Yuma who need to obtain medication but find it difficult to make it by 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and many work Saturdays, making the limited Saturday hours insufficient,” Steinmetz said.

He said because the various types of products from marijuana are dispensary specific, it is not unusual for patients to commute to obtain the products.

“Because patients often travel greater distances to obtain this product-specific medication, some flexibility in the hours of operation are needed,” Steinmetz said.

He also noted that patients often have a sudden need to obtain their medical marijuana, and the law does limit the amount they can have on hand, sometimes requiring unexpected trips to the dispensary.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will meet on Thursday, April 23, at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at Town Hall.

The meeting is open to the public and there will be a public hearing on this item prior to commission discussion and consideration of a recommendation to the council.