In a move that gave local cannabis watchers—and many dispensary owners—a serious case of whiplash, the Arizona Department of Health Services gave the green-light to recreational pot sales last week, catching a lot of people in the industry off guard.
Harvest Enterprises, Inc., founded by CEO and Tempe native Steve White, had the first-ever Arizona adult-use sale in its Scottsdale location and Harvest became the first Tucson-area dispensary to sell recreational marijuana, with patients waiting in line for hours outside the midtown outlet at 2734 E. Grant Road on Friday, Jan. 22 and continuing throughout the weekend.
Harvest's opening came after the AZDHS allowed recreational cannabis sales to begin, letting dispensary owners know adult-use recreational sales can move forward as soon as licenses are approved and dispensaries are set up to handle both aspects of the market.