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State approves marijuana dispensaries for Back Bay, Newmarket
By adamg on Fri, 01/31/2014 - 12:53pm
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health today gave provisional approval to medical-marijuana dispensaries at 364 Boylston St. and 70 Southampton St.
The non-profit operators of the two proposed dispensaries hope to be in operation by this fall.
Good Chemistry of Massachusetts, a subsidiary of a Denver concern, will operate the Boylston Street facility, selling products based on marijuana grown in a warehouse in Worcester.
Green Heart Holistic Health & Pharmaceuticals wants to open near Boston Medical Center, selling products based on marijuana it plans to grown in a warehouse in Amesbury. The entity represents the merger of two earlier bids, both based on work done by an Oakland, CA dispensary network.
In its filing with the state, Good Chemistry said it expected to serve about 900 patients a month - a figure that assumed the state would approve four dispensaries in Suffolk County, when the actual number was just two.
Green Heart said it expects to serve about 50 patients a day at the outset.
Both expect revenues of several million dollars a year once fully ramped up - but add the cost of their marijuana will decline as well. Good Chemistry said it will likely charge around $12.50 a gram its first year, but that that should drop to $9 by its third year in operation.
In addition to the Boston proposals, the state also approved dispensaries at 1416 Beacon St. (at Summit Avenue) in Brookline and 216 Ricciuti Dr. in Quincy.
Free tagging:
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Green Heart proposal | 2.68 MB |
| Good Chemistry proposal | 3.63 MB |
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Comments
$12.50 a gram is a steal, at
$12.50 a gram is a steal, at least for Boston.
I don't want to get into a
I don't want to get into a debate about the pros and cons of this, but I do have two questions:
The marijuana is grown in a warehouse in Worcester. Does it need to be grown in the same state in which is is dispensed so that no interstate transportation laws are violated and/or to address a security concern of the trucks getting robbed while en route?
Two, speaking of security, what kind of onsite security must this place have??? Or, is marijuana so easy to get that it's not worth stealing?
There's a group of former SEALS and Special Forces
guys who opened their own security concern in Colorado, due to the fact that while the Holder DOJ had been dicking around before they let the dispensaries open bank accounts, there was all kinds of cash on those premises.
I'm talking about the
I'm talking about the warehouse where the stuff is grown.
Them too!
They provide all levels of security from grow to sale!
IANAL
Not a lawyer but if it is grown and sold within a state's border then the Feds lose the jurisdiction they would have with interstate commerce. I remember people claiming the Feds were overstepping their bounds in the Michael Vick case but to me it was clear that there was gambling that crossed state lines which gave them jurisdiction via interstate commerce & RICO. In this case the federal drug laws are still in question (see federal raids on California dispensaries/growers).
Almost
Not so much an issue under the Commerce Clause (Congress has long had the right to regulate the sale of goods that are grown within the state boundaries, like milk in Wisconsin). Rather, it is an issue of transportation of Schedule I controlled substances accross state lines, which will get you in trouble with the feds. Of course, growing, selling, possessing, etc. will also get you in big trouble with the feds but avoiding interstate transportation at least avoid that offense. It also ensures that the seller is not selling weed that was grown in a jurisdiction where it was illegal to grow it, thereby avoiding conspiracy to violate other states' laws. Personally, I'm glad that all of this is finally being legalized and regulated, but it is certainly a risky business to be in under the current state of things.
Funny how...
Bill Delahunt got not one, not two, but three of those licenses. Oh, but they will all be non profits.
Sure they will.
Hackorama
Nothing to see here, move along.
Curious
I wonder how the neighborhood association in the backbay will feel about this. You know they whine at the littlest thing
yep well aware they have little say in the matter, but can/will put up a stink anyways. (since many towns, including my own, are trying to regulate the p*ss out of where these places can and can't be)
After A Few Visits...
The neighborhood association will have more relaxed attitudes. And will also be hitting up the CVS for snacks more often.
"The BRA will be reviewing a proposal for a 70 story building."
Back Bay: "Yeah man, whatever, it's cool. Needs some ground floor retail though, like with cookies and shit."
You're right
They'd much rather a combo high end wine and pharmacy bar go in.
Haven't heard a peep
Legal business, highly regulated, permits in place, no immediate residential neighbors, not in the historic district. Probably won't hear a word from the association (and usually if there are complaints they come prior to permitting approvals). Move it to Newbury Street which is in the historic district where people are living upstairs (and don't want it) and you might have an issue.
Personally I don't understand why they don't just sell it at CVS if it's prescribed for medical purposes. But then the Bill Delahunts of the world can't get a piece of the action beyond owning CVS stock. Would be great if you could grab your weed and munchies in the same place. Talk about efficient vertical integration!
Gotta say, I'm really
Gotta say, I'm really surprised that one of these places ended up in Back Bay.
On the other hand, everyone's going to have their eyes on this business, so it can't step out of line one bit. A friend of mine owns real estate, and one her tenants is a piercing shop. She said that they're her best tenants because they know that they can't step out of line: the rent is always paid on time, the property is kept immaculately, and their customers are always well behaved.
It is mind boggling that
It is mind boggling that people are trying to stop these from opening in their towns when pharmacies, which sell much more dangerous heroin and cocaine derived drugs open all over the place with no one saying anything. Why not just have CVS walgreens et al sell medical cannabis.
They will!
Big Pharma has BIG plans for weed. Trust me on this.
oh do tell
do tell dvdoff.. I wanna know how they are going to ruin it, then charge me a gazillion dollars for a 'better, reformulated version'. yeah uh no.
I'm curious.. do tell. (or if you don't want to here, send me a msg on here via the email function)
Dont you think that the big
Dont you think that the big tobacco companies will shift from growing tobacco to growing maryjuana on a similar scale, and create a distribution channel straight through to the CVS 's , more efficient for the accountability to the tax man . Economies of scale and quality control and regulated for revenue transactions, it will become just like the liquor industry. Too much money involved to mouse around .
However the question is..
Would you want to smoke a joint from a big tobacco company considering the decades of deception and lying they did about what was in tobacco cigs and whether or not they caused cancer?
Yeah probably not.
As far as CVS from my understanding, outside of the federal law issue, its more of a stance issue of whether or not medipot is a real medicine or not. And whether CVS wants to take a stand on such an issue, when many of their own pharmacists may not agree with the practice. Another I keep hearing is 'security' behind dispensing pot (which was said above), I don't think CVS is ready to gamble on that (but one would argue that CVS already sells stuff that has a bigger resale value on the street than medipot ever would)
I think big tobacco is
I think big tobacco is waiting for legalization of recreational pot. Then they can enter the market with economies of scale, real marketing clout and with the r&d ability to develop more potent strains. Plus, they can expand beyond smokers to those that want to eat or drink their high.
Sort of what they are now doing with vaping.
Nah
Margins are too small. Plus it cuts into their much more dangerous and potent morphine racket. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pushing against it, like big alcohol and big tobacco which don’t want a less addictive, cheaper competition.
what drugs are sold at cvs
what drugs are sold at cvs that are derived from heroin or cocaine?
Well, it's not like the
Well, it's not like the reviews for Roundhouse Suites (moreso the surrounding neighborhood and zombies) can get any worse. What difference could a dispensary across the street make.
I live in the area- I'm excited!
It's nice to see something going into Skipton's old digs. It's a welcome change, and as I have a letter for the stuff, this also means I don't have to go too far to find my local.
The Cumberland Farms that just moved into Mass Ave/Albany St was well planned in more ways than one, I see!
I get it for 10 !
I get it for 10 !