Council denies liquor license for membership cannabis 'grow room' after police recommend refusal
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Summary
The council voted 9‑0 to disapprove a liquor license for a proposed club described by the applicant as a private membership organization where members grow cannabis; the police recommended denial, citing incomplete signature documentation and concerns about mixing public alcohol use with on‑site cannabis consumption.
Phoenix City Council on July 2 voted unanimously to disapprove a new liquor license application for a proposed club in District 4 that the applicant described as a private membership organization focused on supporting people to grow cannabis at home.
City police testified they recommended denial because the application did not meet licensing requirements: signatures submitted lacked dates within the required 180‑day window and there were discrepancies in the number of members required to meet the club threshold. Police also raised a broader law‑enforcement concern: the applicant requested a license that would allow public alcohol sales while the proposed club model anticipates private cannabis use.
Commander Shane Disotel of the Phoenix Police Department described the specific problems staff identified: missing signature dates, inconsistent membership counts and concern that the club’s bylaws would permit private cannabis consumption while the license would allow for public alcohol sales. “When we looked at this application we had three reasons that we decided that we would recommend this approval,” Disotel said, noting the documentation and public‑use concerns were the basis of the recommendation for denial.
Two neighborhood residents testified in opposition, raising public‑safety and traffic concerns and arguing combined on‑site access to alcohol and cannabis could increase impaired driving and neighborhood disruption.
Applicant Matthew Davidson said the club is an educational membership group that helps adults legally grow cannabis for their own use and that his bylaws prohibit consumption beyond a private lounge for members. “We are an education group. We are members who work in the cannabis industry… We help people to set up their own ability to be able to grow cannabis rather than having to pay dispensaries money,” Davidson told council.
After hearing testimony, Councilwoman Pastor moved to disapprove the liquor license; the motion carried 9‑0.
Action on the license will prevent a public alcohol license for the proposed venue; staff noted applicants may reapply if they address the documentation and operational concerns the police raised.
