I am a 67-year-old female medical marijuana patient. I can now legally take this medication that treats my glaucoma and arthritis instead of prescription drugs with negative side effects.

The Fountain Hills dispensary is professionally run, and most of the patients I have observed there are middle aged or older. They are seeking pain relief from medical conditions.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why any human would deny pain relief to another human, especially those who label themselves “good Christians.” A person dies of a prescription pain medication every 19 minutes in the USA. Many of these prescription medications have terrible side effects and are toxic to the liver and kidneys.

No one has ever been documented to have a fatal overdose of marijuana, yet a group of hysterical undereducated right wingers continue to try to outlaw the use of the drug, even for patients in intractable pain.

The dispensary should be open seven days a week and 12 hours a day if they so wish to allow for certified patients of legal age to buy their medications. The teens can (and do) get their drugs anywhere, anytime, and they frequently do get it from their parents’ unlocked medicine cabinet. Ask anyone who has ever worked in an ER.

Marijuana is not the problem. This town fights progress and business tooth and nail. I am pleased to say my home is up for sale. I really need to get out of this town and live around some people with a realistic and intelligent social attitude.