WALSH: HOPE ‘TAXATION’S WORTH THE HUMAN TOLL’
Mayor cautions against legal pot as Hub preps for first rec license
Mayor Martin J. Walsh cautioned against the “human toll” of marijuana on the same day the city nudged its first recreational license out of the starting gate. “I hope the taxation’s worth the human toll,” Walsh said when asked about the prospect of new revenue for the city. “It’s the law now. We’re heading towards there. Boston will be opening up its very first marijuana facility probably early next year.” The city reached a host community agreement with a recreational pot purveyor seeking to open up shop on Friend Street in the West End. According to the document obtained by the Herald, the city and Ascend Mass LLC entered the agreement Wednesday, fulfilling a necessary step in the process before the business will seek a Zoning Board of Appeals approval and then approval from the state. “We have a five-step process that we’re working through,” Walsh said. “We haven’t gotten to a ZBA date yet for any of the marijuana facilities. Some are in the beginning stages of filing applications. Some are in the meeting stages, some are in the working-out-ahost-agreement stage, and nothing’s moved forward yet. It’s a complicated process.” Police Commissioner William Gross declined to comment yesterday on the entry of recreational weed to the market. “Thanksgiving is for turkey talk,” he said. The Herald reported yesterday that pot pilgrims spent $440,011 on their now-legal stash Tuesday alone. The state takes a 17 percent cut from sales with a combined 6.25 percent sales tax and a 10.75 percent excise tax. Buyers also pay a local tax of 3 percent. While Boston won’t be first, there is a bounty of business now in the pipeline. More than 50 marijuana businesses consisting of recreational, medicinal and growing facilities have sent applications of interest to the city. Only half of those have moved on to the next step, which is to apply for a conditional use permit with the Inspectional Services Department. There have been 11 community meetings for businesses and four more are upcoming. Ascend is one of four companies to sign host community agreements with the city but so far it’s the only one seeking a recreational license. Mayflower, Apothca Inc. and Green Line Boston Inc. have also signed agreements. Ascend is also seeking a retail shop in Brookline. The Herald reported in October that about 50 people protested outside of 1032 Beacon St., where the company is planning to open a 6,200-square-foot shop it says would be the nation’s largest retail marijuana store. Ascend’s CEO Andrea Cabral, a former Suffolk County sheriff, said of the protests at the time, “People have an idea of what they think is going to happen and it tends to be a fair distance away from the reality.”