COP, REP AND CO. PLAN POT SHOP
Allston store raises connection concerns
A former state rep, an exSuffolk County prosecutor and a former high-ranking Boston cop are teaming up to run a proposed pot shop in Allston.
Former Suffolk County prosecutor Amy McNamee is listed as the CEO of Union Twist, a recreational and medical marijuana shop proposed for 259 Cambridge St. Former Boston police Superintendent-in-Chief Daniel Linskey is the security consultant and former state Rep. Marie St. Fleur (D-Boston from 1999-2011) is the chief operating officer. All three are listed as the company’s “founding team.”
The pot company has held community meetings and is in the early stages of seeking approval for the 9,000square-foot facility, McNamee told the Herald.
When McNamee was asked about the fact that she and Linskey were in law enforcement when pot was illegal, while St. Fleur was a state rep., McNamee said, “All of us have been involved in public service — we understand the impact the war on drugs has had on communities. If you read the law closely, that’s what it’s looking for.”
Neither Linskey nor St. Fleur could be reached for comment.
Union Twist says at least 30 percent of its employees will be black or Hispanic, and it will pay workers at least $15 an hour. The shop would be open until 8 p.m. and would deliver to medical customers.
No pot shops are open in Boston yet, though several hope to start selling by the end of the year. The state’s first recreational marijuana facilities opened last fall, nearly two years after voters legalized pot by referendum in the 2016 general election.
Other former Boston-area politicians and law enforcement members involved in the marijuana business include former City Councilor Tito Jackson, former Gov. Bill Weld and former state public safety secretary and Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral.
Greg Sullivan of the Pioneer Institute said the city and state should take pains to make sure politicians and ex-cops and prosecutors aren’t benefiting from their connections.
“If the big shots of government are becoming applicants, does the average person have any chance?” the former state inspector general said. “It’s critically important that the process be a fair one and be transparent.”