BROOKLINE, MA — Whether it’s allegations of an uptick in public urination, the increase in litter, or the lack of parking, some Brookline residents are furious over New England Treatment Access (NETA) hours of operation and are saying “Not In My Backyard” (NIMBY).
NETA began operating as a medical marijuana dispensary back in Feb. of 2016. In March of this year, after Massachusetts approved the legalization of marijuana, NETA opened its doors to adult-use customers. NETA officials said they want Brookline to use the $1.4 million they have paid the town to offset its impact before requiring NETA to adjust its business hours.
“Our opposition is painting a picture about cannabis consumers, they are making a real generalization that cannabis consumers are a nuisance, and that is just not true,” said Amanda Rositano, president of NETA. “Cannabis consumers are doctors, lawyers, professionals, and high income and low income, black and white. There’s just no one type.”
Daniel Saltzman, a town meeting member of Precinct 6 and a 14-year resident of White Place, is one of the 877 registered voters who signed the town meeting petition to reduce hours of operation and push for an appointment-only model.
“NETA sent out documents today suggesting that they will voluntarily reduce their hours but for only six months,” Saltzman said. “Six months is pointless. We won’t learn anything in six months. We will all be right back here with the same issues if we don’t act appropriately and support these warrant articles.”
Paul Warren, one of the 10 co-sponsors of the warrant articles, agreed with Saltzman in that reduced hours need to be paired with appointments. He explained that Garden Remedies in Newton was at full capacity with appointments only at 6:30 p.m. on a Friday night. During that same time, NETA in Brookline had 139 people in line because there isn’t an option to schedule an appointment.
“Appointments don’t slow down the roller coaster, they just clear up the lines,” Warren said.
Some Brookline residents continue to complain about the negative impact adult-use recreational marijuana has on the town. In response to push back, NETA – the first marijuana clinic accessible by the T in Greater Boston – sent a letter to the Select Board and offered to shorten their hours of operation.
The Select Board voted to reduce NETA’s hours yesterday. Starting Dec. 1, the shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, it will be open from noon to 6 p.m.
NETA officials haven’t come to a final decision in regards to switching to appointments only. Rositano said that by voting “yes” on Special Town Meeting Warrant Article 2, an appointment-only model, the privacy of the customers would be impacted. Passage would also restrict access to the legal product and disrupt the business, she said.
“If we are required to have mandatory appointments, we will have to create profiles for each customer,” Rositano said. “It will be impossible not to leave a digital footprint and it creates reluctance due to the stigma around the federally illegal product.”
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