By Mary Romaniec
Grafton News Reporter –
Grafton’s Board of Health entered the fray of discussion on medical marijuana at Monday’s meeting.
Representatives from Nature’s Remedy, a nonprofit medical marijuana company, presented to the Board before seeking a letter of nonopposition from Selectmen. Valerio Romano, attorney for Nature’s Remedy, stated the letter was not a legal requirement but rather a part of the application process.
Romano was joined by Nature’s Remedy president, John Carr, a contractor by trade, entered into the medical marijuana business when it was approved in a 2012 state ballot. Carr said they have two applications in the approval process — Grafton and Westford. He said in Grafton they are proposing to develop a 50,000 square foot growing facility as well as a dispensary. The proposed location, in Centech Park, would involve Nature’s Remedy building the facility to meet security requirements as well as other licensing requirements to operate a medical marijuana business.
Valerio took the opportunity to lay out the requirements and restrictions on companies who are granted a medical marijuana license in Massachusetts, including steep requirements to become a customer.
Valerio said medical marijuana is not a gateway drug that leads to greater abuse. He added that in areas where medical marijuana is legal, opioid abuse has gone down. “If you medicate with cannabis you never go down that [addiction] path,” said Valerio. “This is a medical program,” he added as he explained its uses with a variety of patients who would be the end-users prescribed cannabis.
In Grafton, the plan and requirements for building the facility would involve strict regulations that meet Board of Health and state regulations since most of the products will be edible. The cultivated cannabis will be tested for heavy metals, molds and pesticides with regular inspections by the Board of Health and state inspectors.
If approved, security would include cameras throughout the facility as well as special badges for both employees and clients. To receive medical marijuana products, users must show two forms of identification, with their medical marijuana card run through a state database that gauges usage.
Valerio added the building would resemble a biotech facility. “They are really treating this like plutonium,” he said when describing the level of security at the building. Yet, when questioned he admitted there are no plans to have 24-hour security unless asked by the town.
The plan is to hire five to 15 people from Grafton to work at the facility, he said with potential employees required to pass a rigorous background check and participate in extensive training.
Nature’s Remedy also plans to deliver product to those too sick to leave their homes, which members of the Board questioned how that would work. Valerio explained that currently patients are allowed “hardship cultivation.” He said deliveries would end this layer of burden to the patient.
Estimated construction cost for the new facility is around $3 million, according to Carr and Valerio. Once complete, the plan is to sell the cultivated products to other dispensaries, starting with the Westford facility.
When pressed, Valerio said the facility would not be heavily advertised but information on the site will be made available on the state’s Department of Health website which lists all available dispensaries.
Board members also asked about hours of operation and other security measures at the facility.
Selectmen will hear from Nature’s Remedy at their May 24 meeting in the high school auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m.
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