Douglas County voters overwhelmingly approved local measures prohibiting medical marijuana dispensaries in their areas.

Douglas County, Lone Tree and Castle Pines North all put the medical marijuana question to voters this year, and about 61 percent of the 70,300 votes cast by those in unincorporated Douglas County were in favor of prohibiting the businesses.

Out of the nearly 4,230 votes cast in Lone Tree, more than 68 percent were opposed to medical marijuana shops and cultivation facilities in the city. About 80 percent of 4,600 votes counted in Castle Pines North were in favor of prohibition.

Dawn Martin, a mother of two who voted at the Wildlife Experience on Election Day, said she does not want businesses that might attract questionable clientele near her neighborhood.

“It’s really a question of what’s right for each community and this doesn’t seem like the right place for it to me,” she said.

The medical marijuana issue has polarized some members of the community. Advocates say many dispensary owners are law-abiding citizens who want to start a business through legal means. Others have pointed to the potential tax benefits that could be generated by the sale of marijuana. Amendment 20, which allows medical marijuana use in Colorado, was passed by voters in 2000.

Opponents say dispensaries send the wrong message to kids and creates a potentially dangerous environment in otherwise low-key shopping districts.

Earlier this year, Douglas County and Lone Tree officials enacted temporary moratoriums on medical marijuana establishments as state lawmakers wrestled with regulations for the growing industry. Castle Rock voted to ban dispensaries, but that vote is being challenged.

Lone Tree councilwoman Susan Squyer said she would be interested to see how local voters would weigh in on the subject.

"We want to do what the citizens want,” she said.