Tucson’s Ward 2 City Councilman Paul Cunningham has called for a city zoning ordinance change that would tighten the leash on planned medical marijuana dispensaries.

Cunningham, whose judgement came into question a few months ago when he got drunk in Cali and temporarily lost the ability to STFU, wants to extend the dispensary setback from schools, churches, etc. from 1,000 feet to 1,300 feet. In an embarrassingly poorly written entry in his newsletter, Cunningham said:

There are people who can make out signs and letters from 1,000 feet away, but a quarter-mile gives a large enough buffer to minimize the immediate physical environment of young people. This buffer will help to eliminate any propaganda that legitimizes marijuana use. As a former Juvenile Probation Officer, legitimizing marijuana use to any child is a mistake. Extending the buffer to a quarter mile will help prevent this from happening.

The change is up for discussion at the council’s Oct. 9 study session in the council chamber at 1 p.m. Be there or be square.

This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2012.

More fun than FarmVille, more interesting than that Facebook friend you don't really remember from high school.

12 replies on “Paul Cunningham Wants More MMJ Dispensary Restrictions”

  1. Oh yes, heaven forbid that children should ever be exposed to the knowledge that pot might actually have some positive uses. Cunningham is a political hack with all the intellect and morals of a bag of used syringes.

  2. Though I don’t care to use it, I’m a staunch supporter of legalizing marijuana. However, I do have problems with the use of it by children and teenagers. There us no information on what possible detrimental effects it may have on those in the formative stage when their brains and bodies are not yet fully developed.

  3. Cannabis should be ruled and regulated like alcohol. and like alcohol, if i choose to make it myself, then so be it.

  4. I guess that it’s okay to get drunk as hell and do moronic things that you don’t even claim to remember Mr. Cunningham, but to give information to the suffering who need their medicine should be clandestine. HUH? What minors need is education, not signage that “gives a large enough buffer…”

  5. If Mr. Cunningham get his way, they should require all pharmacy’s do the same.
    That’s how ridicules this zoning thing is about.

  6. There is a HUGE difference between legalizing marijuana and legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes, so as the mother of a son who died from cancer, I take umbrage with Cunningham’s position against legalizing marijuana for any reason. Without marijuana, my son would have died of malnutrition and starvation long before he succumbed to his cancer.

    Both heroin and morphine are derived from opium/poppies, yet one (morphine) is legal and used for medicinal purposes, while the other (heroin) is neither. Following Cunningham’s absurd assertion, does that then mean that no pharmacies should be allowed to be located near schools?

    Legitimizing marijuana for medicinal purposes in no way sanctions it’s use as a recreational drug with which to get ‘high’, any more than legalizing morphine sanctioned the use of heroin for non-medicinal purposes.

    People can get high on practically any and every thing, including the canned air used for cleaning/dusting electronics – so following Cunningham’s ridiculous thought process, wouldn’t that necessitate putting distance restrictions between office supply stores and schools as well?

    Cunningham should stop focusing his time and effort on this ‘non problem’, and direct them towards the many serious issues currently facing the city. His taking a hard position on medical marijuana dispensaries will NOT erase anyone’s memory of his drunken fiasco in California.

  7. The people spoke and voted YES. Ever since all the politicians are trying to override our voices. This happens over and over in AZ. Why to the people even vote.
    Politicians get out of our faces. We will defeat your next election.

  8. For your information Mr. Paul, Arizona is not going to have tha same flashy neon signs you see in Colorado or even California. This is going to be alot more clinical and private, you are just mad that no one is offering you a job!

  9. Hello All, thanks for the comments and the input. As seen by my motion today, my proposal was about exemptions in the buffer, studying the increase of distance in the buffer, and a discussion about increasing the amount of growth allowable in Pima County. I did not mean to startle anyone about what my proposal was. I have been on the record about the merits of medicinal marijuana for a long time. I understand concerns about my comments, but I don’t think Mr. Smith ever even asked me what my proposal was or why I had concerns. He just chose to snidely insult me, and not even ask me about the facts nor post them. I ask that people don’t jump to conclusions. If you want information about things I am working on, just call and ask.

Comments are closed.