Medical marijuana dispensary approved in Freetown

After almost a year and a half courtship, the Board of Selectmen, by a narrow vote of 2-1, approved the town’s first medical marijuana dispensary.

FREETOWN — After almost a year and a half courtship, the Board of Selectmen, by a narrow vote of 2-1, approved the town’s first medical marijuana dispensary.

Liberty Compassion, a Warwick, Rhode-Island,-based company, in conjunction with real estate company Churchill & Banks, sought town approval to build a cultivation facility. They had entered into a host community agreement with Freetown for the growth facility, but sought to amend the agreement in July to include medicinal sales.

The facility, 170 S. Main St., is next to the Stop and Shop Distribution Center in Assonet, which is within the Riverside Industrial Park, owned by Churchill & Banks. In April, the town voted to ban retail sales pertaining to recreational marijuana, but not medical sales.

On Monday, representatives from Churchill & Banks and Liberty Compassion met with selectmen.

As discussed in previous meetings, the primary objections the selectmen had concerned its proximity to residential areas, as well as land that could potentially be used for residential development. While it is an industrial area, it’s also zoned for mixed-use development.

“Medical marijuana has its place, but my personal opinion is it shouldn’t be so close to residential areas,” said Chairman Robert Jose.

“We know the stigma associated with it because it’s a new industry. We think it’s a net benefit. We don’t believe there to be a negative impact. There’s nothing in state law pertaining to being near residential areas; it’s only for schools,” explained Richard Baccari II, president and CEO of Churchill & Banks.

“I’m opposed to the whole thing overall. The statistics are one-sided to me. We made it clear there would be no retail sales. This is an area we’re still learning and growing from,” said Selectman Lisa Pacheco, who also echoed Jose’s concerns about proximity to residential areas.

The original version of the host community agreement had a minimum distance of several hundred feet from residential areas. Liberty Compassion and Churchill & Banks agreed to increase that distance to 1,000 feet. Also, they said the town would receive 3 percent of the business’ gross revenue, or a minimum of $50,000 annually.

Liberty Compassion grows and produces the products it dispenses.

“It’s a legal operation. If it were a CVS or other pharmacy, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. I just see it as another commercial distributor of a drug. I don’t have opposition to it,” said Selectman Charles Sullivan.

With the narrow vote, the medical dispensary, on top of the cultivation facility, was approved. The next step will be to draft a finalized HCA that meets the board’s new requirements for distance.