A Valley dairy farm wanting to grow medical marijuana is getting a sour response from a nearby youth group who say they don’t want it in their backyard.
“I'm from a third generation cotton farming family. I grew up just south of Coolidge. My first reaction is that this is not farming,” Coolidge Youth Coalition Director Sharon Boyd said.
Sean Dugan of Sidewinder Dairy requested an outdoor facility, but the board of supervisors voted 3-2 to only allow a nearly 10,000-foot indoor grow facility.
“It's just basically saying, 'Here I am come get me,'” Coolidge Youth Coalition member Cara Peterson said.
Coolidge Youth Coalition members say that, legal or not, having a pot farm down the road is sending the wrong message.
“The whole medical marijuana industry is marketing marijuana to our kids.” Coolidge Youth Coalition member Amanda Alexander said.
Dugan was unable to meet with ABC15 for an interview but, according to the Associate Press, his family members found the Coolidge Youth Coalition’s claims that the facility entices teens to be offensive.
The Pinal County Planning Commission said the farm will have to abide by strict security measures put in place by the state—that includes key car entry, panic buttons and surveillance cameras.
