MRCC

Grow, Gift, Repair

Central MA looking to lead the rec Cannabis Industry

Local battles

Mr. Dundas agreed that Milford activists opposed to recreational marijuana were largely concerned about retail stores opening.

After a ban of all recreational marijuana establishments passed at town election last September, the first of a two-step process to enact a ban, Sira Naturals and marijuana advocates worked fervently with the community group pushing for the ban to find common ground before town meeting.

The compromise carve-out to the ban for existing medical marijuana businesses to expand to recreational, including Sira Naturals’ cultivation and processing plant and ProVerde’s medical marijuana testing lab, passed after a dramatic town meeting debate in October. The policy was affirmed at the ballot in March.

“I think a lot of folks are focused on the misconceptions about cannabis use, both medical and adult-use cannabis,” Mr. Dundas said. “I think it’s a win-win for communities and it will just take folks a matter of time to understand that.”

“It’s trench warfare. It’s town by town. It’s incumbent on the industry to educate,” added Spencer Knowles, a business development employee at Sira Naturals. “These businesses are going to regenerate these mill towns with a new industry.”

Milford Town Administrator Richard A. Villani said the town has had no issues with the medical marijuana businesses and signed off on a host community agreement for adult use with Sira Naturals that will bring in a $250,000 impact fee, plus taxes.