About 11 months after the Arizona Department of Health Services held a lottery to award licenses, a medical marijuana dispensary has opened in Fountain Hills.

All those who approach the front door at the town’s only dispensary encounter a uniformed security guard as required by Town Code. Last week Town Building Inspector Jason Field made his final check to make sure the security cameras required around the building were operating.

Security at the building provides for the video cameras as well as adequate lighting to assure that no unauthorized person enters the limited access areas. Bulletproof glass was installed as a security measure.

Dispensary Manager Doug Shaughnessy said they chose to build the dispensary to banking security standards, which includes the bulletproof glass.

A concern of critics of the dispensary deals with a fear that card holders will obtain the marijuana and in turn sell in on the street, particularly to young people.

Nature’s AZ Medicines, as the dispensary is named, has procedures to address the unauthorized distribution of marijuana, however, they are internal measures such as verifying the patients’ cards prior to dispensing and electronic monitoring in and around the site.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Capt. Joe Rodriquez, commander for the Sheriff’s District 7 station in Fountain Hills, said the dispensary will not get any special attention from MCSO.

“We do not get involved in the operations of the business nor can we target the customers as they leave there,” Rodriquez said.

“I am aware of the security procedures that are in place with the facility. Otherwise it will be business as usual for us.”

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said there have been no problems with any other dispensaries open within MCSO jurisdiction.

He said if any violations of the law come to their attention they will enforce the law.

In light of the dispensary opening, Fountain Hills Drug Coalition officials said they will continue their efforts to educate the public, especially young people, about the dangers of marijuana and the fact that the FDA has not approved marijuana as medicine and the DEA still classifies it as a Schedule One drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

Since voters approved the medical marijuana initiative by a razor thin margin in 2010, it has been a long, difficult and expensive road for those wanting to operate a dispensary.

The controversial vote prompted numerous court challenges, including one involving Fountain Hills.

Mark Steinmetz, who won the lottery pick to receive the Fountain Hills license, was involved in the case that challenged the validity of the zoning verification that he, as well as several other applicants, received from the town.

A judge ruled the town verifications were valid.

Steinmetz also went to the town’s Board of Adjustment earlier this year seeking variances he wanted for the dispensary location. The board denied two requests and determined two others were not needed.

The local dispensary experienced a delay of about two weeks in getting the doors open this month.

Shaughnessy said the delay was caused by the change in weather conditions.

He said after the deep monsoon humidity set in they determined that the marijuana was not curing quickly enough to make it ideal for consumption.

Much of the dispensary floor space is devoted to an area where one of three employees sits with patients to talk about their condition and need for medical marijuana. Shaughnessy said it is important to discuss the client’s condition and health history.

He said it is important to know whether the patient experiences conditions such as depression or whether they are pregnant. He said Nature’s AZ Medicines will not provide medical marijuana for a pregnant woman.

They will discuss whether a sativa or indica plant is best or some hybrid of the two.

Shaughnessy said that sativa provides a more “uplifting” high and is generally used during the day when the person is trying to work and tend to day-to-day activity.

Indica is used by chronic pain patients and leaves one more lethargic. It is often used at bedtime, according to Shaughnessy.

A hybrid can provide effective relief where patients need to sleep well, but also stay alert during the workday.

 Shaughnessy and his employees have undergone training to assist their clients, much of it required by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Besides the preparation of the plant material the dispensary also offers some prepackaged edible products including brownies, snickerdoodles and lemon bars.

They also have available various paraphernalia such as pipes, bongs and rolling papers. They also have a rub in lotion form.

In spite of a “soft” opening the first week business was increasing each day, according to Shaughnessy.

It is a business that has revenue potential for the town. Sales at the dispensary are subject to sales tax, according to Deputy Town Manager/Finance Director Julie Ghetti.

The town collects 2.6 percent for each dollar of sales at the dispensary. The overall sales tax rate is 8.9 percent including state and county taxes.

Shaughnessy studied business management in college and served as a sales representative for a company providing hand blown glass before turning to the marijuana industry in 2004.

He said in his marketing job he met a lot of people who couldn’t deal with chemo and other treatments and were looking for something else that would help them.

He was in the lottery to become a dispensary operator at a Fountain Hills site. He lost out in the lottery for the site here to Steinmetz. However, they had previously met and Steinmetz brought Shaughnessy on board here as his manager.

“We are happy to be here to give people the alternatives for the (treatments) that haven’t worked for them,” Shaughnessy said. “We know this is not everyone’s cup of tea, and we are OK with that.

“We want to be welcomed and accepted in the community.”

The dispensary is under the medical direction of Sue Sisley, M.D., a graduate of the UofA Medical School who practices internal medicine and psychiatry. She is a member of the clinical faculty for the Arizona telemedicine program, and a principal investigator for the FDA’s research on cannabis for treatment of PTSD.

The medical director cannot issue medical marijuana cards to patients.

Nature’s AZ Medicines is located on Enterprise Drive near Colony Drive. The operating hours are limited to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday by town zoning.