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Published: 8/6/2021 4:32:31 PM
GREENFIELD — The city’s Planning Board voted unanimously Thursday to initiate the zoning amendment process by forwarding to City Council proposed changes pertaining to marijuana establishments, particularly marijuana couriers and marijuana delivery operators.
The Planning Board and the City Council’s Economic Development Committee will likely schedule a joint public hearing on the proposed amendments in September, according to Planning and Development Director Eric Twarog.
The main proposed changes discussed at the John Zon Community Center on Thursday are the definitions of a marijuana courier and a marijuana delivery operator. Language governing these types of operations isn’t currently in the zoning bylaws.
A marijuana courier would be defined as any entity licensed “to deliver finished marijuana products, marijuana accessories and branded goods directly to consumers from a marijuana retailer,” or directly to registered qualifying patients or caregivers from a medical marijuana treatment center, but that is not authorized to sell marijuana or marijuana products directly to consumers, registered qualifying patients or caregivers and is not authorized to wholesale, warehouse, process, repackage or white label.
A marijuana delivery operator would be defined as an “entity licensed to purchase at wholesale and warehouse finished marijuana products acquired from a marijuana cultivator, marijuana product manufacturer, microbusiness or craft marijuana cooperative, and white label, sell and deliver finished marijuana products, marijuana accessories and marijuana branded goods directly to consumers,” but that is not authorized to repackage marijuana or marijuana products or operate a storefront. Both would require licenses to operate.
Essentially, the difference is akin to Grubhub — which employs people to pick up food from a third party and deliver it to customers — and Domino’s, where employees make food and deliver it to customers. Planning Board member Emily Eash, an attorney by trade, provided an example, saying the law firm where she works employs couriers that serve someone papers but do not prepare the documents themselves.
Other proposed language stipulates that no special permit shall be granted without first having executed a host community agreement with Greenfield; no special permit application can be deemed complete by the Greenfield Planning Department until a community outreach meeting has been held; and no person can operate a marijuana establishment without having a license in good standing from the state Cannabis Control Commission (CCC).
If the proposed amendments are adopted, the city would be allowed no more than four marijuana delivery operators.
According to The Associated Press, the state Cannabis Control Commission reports that 11 companies have so far been licensed for deliveries in Massachusetts, and at least three of them are now operating. One of them — We Can Deliver LLC — calls Athol home, and another is Faded LLC, also known as Your Green Package, which is based in Bellingham. Your Green Package delivers marijuana from New England Treatment Access (NETA) adult-use dispensaries, which are in Northampton and Brookline.
Twarog said he used Easthampton’s recently proposed amendments to help draft Greenfield’s. He said Easthampton City Planner Jeffrey Bagg has expertise in zoning ordinances pertaining to marijuana, as he was part of a group presenting to municipal officials when the marijuana laws and regulations were promulgated in his city. Twarog said Easthampton’s changes may not be perfect for Greenfield, but they are a good starting point.
“He’s not infallible,” Twarog said of Bagg, “but he’s better than we are … because he’s the expert.”
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.
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