Lottery picks who will get medical marijuana dispensary license in Santa Ana

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A lottery was conducted in Santa Ana to decide who will get a license to operate medical marijuana dispensaries.

There were 627 balls in the raffle drum - each one holding hope for those who want to open a medical pot shop in the city of Santa Ana.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity," said Jason Piazza, a Costa Mesa resident.

The lottery, which took place Thursday, is part of the process under Measure BB. The measure was approved by voters to allow a certain number of pot shops to operate in Santa Ana.

Each applicant paid nearly $1,700 to file the paperwork and had to secure property within the two industrial zones where dispensaries are allowed. They must be at least 500 feet from each other and 1,000 feet from a school, home or park.

"It was like the wild west really trying to find landlords that were willing to lease to you," Piazza said.

Derek Worden's group submitted 56 applications and spent about $100,000 in fees just to get to the lottery. Worden lucked out - the second ball chosen was his number.

"It was very, very exciting. As you can imagine for me and my partners, there's been a lot of anxiety," Worden said.

About 90 pot shops exist in Santa Ana, even though the city has banned them for years.

Worden said he runs one of those places. He must still undergo background checks to get a permit, but he hopes to be among the roughly 20 shops allowed to open legally as soon as possible.

"Let's give those real patients, who are 21 and over, the chance to actually still have safe access to their medicine," Worden said.

Police will review the applications of those chosen in the lottery and decide within 60 days whether to grant a permit. Those who are allowed to set up shop will have to pay the city 5 percent of their gross sale receipts. For the city, that means about $1.5 million a year, which the city says will go toward enforcement.