Blooming marijuana industry has official worried

Blackstone selectwoman voices concerns about possible negative effects

BLACKSTONE — With the fledgling Massachusetts marijuana industry making significant inroads in the Blackstone Valley, at least one local selectwoman says she has concerns about the potential negative effects of marijuana use, especially on young people.

Blackstone Selectwoman Margo J. Bik at a board meeting last week said it is important that community leaders be aware of the full implications of recreational marijuana and not be be seduced by the potential for tax revenue windfalls.

“I know people are looking at this as a bonanza for the town and that we’re going to get all of this money and it’s going to reduce everyone’s taxes, but I think we need to put the pause button on and have a balanced discussion,” said Bik, the first town official to offer her own personal views on the potential

“I think we need to put the pause button on and have a balanced discussion.” —Blackstone Selectwoman Margo J. Bik

for retail marijuana shops in Blackstone.

Formal steps have been taken toward establishing an actual retail cannabis businesses in town. Gurpreet Kalra, proprietor of the Family Grocer convenience store on Main Street, is applying for a retail license from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission to operate a retail dispensary in 1,368-square feet on the second floor of the existing building at 202 Main St.

Kalra held a required community outreach meeting last month, which turned into an emotional debate over recreational marijuana with some in the audience decrying marijuana as a gateway drug while others touted its efficacy to alleviate pain and other symptoms associated with debilitating medical conditions.

Bik says town leaders need to understand what the issues are before issuing a letter of non-opposition and entering into a host community agreement with Kalra or any other cannabis entrepreneur.

Bik pointed to Colorado, saying five years after that state legalized marijuana, new datat shows that legalization has impacted several highly charged subjects, including usage among young people, crime, health and driving impairment.

“Five years of retail pot coincide with five years of a homelessness growth rate that ranks among the high- est rates in the country,” she said. “Five years of Big Marijuana ushered in a doubling in the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes who tested positive for marijuana, based on research by the pro-legalization Denver Post.”

Bik said an investigation by Education News Colorado, Solutions and the I-News Network shows an increase in high school drug violations of 71 percent since legalization. School suspensions for drugs increased 45 percent.

“The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found Colorado ranks first in the country for marijuana use among teens, scoring well above the national average,” she said.

“I have a family member who is on the state police force in Boulder, Colorado, and whatever money they have gained from pot legalization has not even begun to cover what the police and EMT’s have had to deal with,” she said. “They can’t hire enough people to take care of what’s going on.”

When Blackstone’s Kalra discussed his plans at last month’s community outreach meeting – which was required by the CCC before any local permitting begins – the longtime businessman got an earfull from residents who say the location is not suitable.

One of those residents, attorney Daniel Doyle, said he strongly opposes the proposed retail facility, which he says will be located 320 yards from the Blackstone Valley Boys and Girls Club on Canal Street, which he helped establish in 1993. Doyle is also chairman of the club’s board of directors.

“I have a real concern with this facility located in such close proximity to the entrance of our facility, not to mention there is a children’s playground 50 feet away as well as the new bike path,” Doyle said at the meeting. “I personally don’t agree with the marijuana law and I wish it was never passed, but it’s here. I just don’t think this is an appropriate location for this kind of activity.”

Doyle said he intends to officially register his concerns with the CCC and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which oversees the nearby bike path.

Also registering his opposition was Dr. Gary Piette, pastor of Solid Rock Baptist Church on Main Street, who also urged Kalra to find another location.

Kalra, who is applying for a marijuana retail license from the state, says he is willing to hold a second community forum and also consider an alternative location, but that seems unlikely because he owns the building and is looking to make renovations to accommodate cannabis retail sales. The store property is zoned commercial with retail as an allowed use. The store also meets the minimum buffer zone requirements established by the the CCC.

In response to some the opposition voiced at the forum, Kalra said he takes those concerns seriously and will do everything in his power to ensure the safety of children.

All employees, he says, will be 21 years or older and will hold a CCC-issued marijuana agent license following a background check. A vault to store product will only be accessible by the manager and the facility will have an alarm system and inside and outside security cameras, among other things.

“I’m a family man just like you,” he told the audience. “I know exactly how you feel and that there are many questions on how are we going to do this and are we going to do it right. Somebody is going to come into Blackstone and do this, so why not us? Why not someone who knows Blackstone and its residents and has always done the right thing and will continue do the right thing?”

Prospective marijuana businesses like Kalra are required to secure host community agreements before they can apply for a license from the state. Under the law, local officials can also set the tax rate on marijuana sold within their city or town’s limits, up to 3 percent. Unlike medical marijuana, recreational cannabis will be taxed. The state plans to levy a 6.25 percent sales tax and 10.75 percent excise tax, and leave to the discretion of municipal officials an option to levy the local tax up to 3 percent.

In addition to Blackstone, Millville and Uxbridge have also been courted in recent months by marijuana businesses. Blackstone is also being eyed by DDM Sales, Inc., which has notified the selectmen last month of its plan to put an adult-use retail cannabis dispensary in at 1 Lloyd St., the former Bell Liquors building located between the Millerville Men’s Club and Stop & Shop plaza. A date for a community outreach meeting for that establishment has not yet been set.

Bik says the town must not be beguiled by money.

“This was a decision that was made for us when the residents of this state vote to approve recreational marijuana,” she said. “Now that it’s here at our doorstep I just want people to be aware of these statistics in Colorado, which I personally find alarming.”