First medical marijuana shop to open in Oro Valley

Another local medical marijuana shop is getting ready to open for business.

Catalina Hills Care, near Tangerine and Rancho Vistoso, will be the first dispensary in Oro Valley.

Medial marijuana dispensaries are still new to our state after voters approved the Medical Marijuana Act in 2010.

Just like the other dispensaries, Catalina Hills Care is heavily regulated by the state.

The clinic applied for their permit last May and just got the approval to operate last week.

The state requires them to have ten surveillance cameras, a safe room and perform all transactions through the Arizona Department of Health’s website.

This allows the state to monitor who is selling and who is buying.

For those patients new to medical marijuana, the dispensary will have a medical expert on staff to help them chose the right strain.

Catalina Hills Care staff says the people in Oro Valley have been very welcoming. In fact, they have already seen an increase of phone calls and hits on their website.

“The state monitors every transaction that we make live on their system. If you don’t have the right information or if someone’s card is expired or if someone didn’t log in properly, then they will send you an email saying this is what happened.”

There are about six dispensaries in Southern Arizona.

Patients who live within 25 miles of the clinic and have a card to cultivate will no longer be allowed to do so when their cards expire.

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