Sunland Park votes against dispensary

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Sunland Park City Council voted against an entertainment venue and dispensary that has sparked controversy in the city.

The venue is called Independent Nation. They are planning to have "family-oriented entertainment like arcades, axe-throwing lanes, and live sports."

However, there will be a cannabis dispensary on the property as well. Other Sunland Park dispensary owners have expressed concern about the location of the dispensary.

The location is 420 Sunland Park Drive, which is right next to the Texas/New Mexico Border.

"We get along with El Paso. Why are we going to poke the bear?" said Pablo Duran, owner of the Field of Dreams Dispensary and member of the Sunland Park Cannabis Coalition. Duran says that it's too close to the border, and it will cause issues between Sunland Park and El Paso.

Another concern that has been brought up has been a potential strip club on the property. Duran says having a strip club, alcohol consumption, and cannabis in one location is too much for Sunland Park to handle.

Independent Nation says this isn't true, however. Amit Bijlani, the President of Independent Nation, says that there's a lot of misinformation about the property. He says there's no strip club on the property at all.

"There is no strip club. There has never been a strip club."