FALL RIVER — With 10 marijuana dispensaries potentially opening in the city – a number that caught the attention of City Councilor Leo Pelletier – the City Council will start discussing what they think is an appropriate amount of medical and recreational facilities to allow.
“Well, I was under the impression that there would be five at most. Next thing I know when I asked (Corporation Counsel) Macy, he said there could be as much as 10,” Pelletier said. “Are you guys nuts, 10? Who is getting these things?”
The City Council Tuesday voted to send Pelletier’s resolution to the Committee on Finance, where Macy, Fall River Chief of Police Albert Dupre and members of the administration will discuss possibly limiting the number of licenses.
Mayor Jasiel Correia II has awarded 10 letters on non-opposition and host agreements.
Northeast Alternatives, located on William Canning Boulevard, became the city’s first recreational dispensary last month. Hope, Heal, Health on West Street will open for medical marijuana later this month.
Nature’s Medicine, on Globe Street, is opened for medicinal marijuana. Cannatech, Greener Leaf and Hope, Heal, Health have also submitted applications to conduct recreational sales.
Other companies that have received letters of non-opposition for medical and recreational are The Giving Tree Health Center, Agricultural Healing, Premium Chef Edibles, Inc. and Loop Cultivation Partners.
The Haven Center and Cannatech have letters of non-opposition for medical, and letters for recreational marijuana distribution are pending. According to Macy, those companies will receive letters from the mayor.
Pelletier said he wanted to get more answers on who is getting letters of non-opposition from Correia and what his criteria are for approving the letters, which is the first step in securing a state license.
“I’d like to get to the bottom of it. I think he’s giving out too many letters as far as I’m concerned,” Pelletier said. “I think people of Fall River aren’t ready for 10 marijuana shops.”
This is the first time the council has weighed in on the number of facilities.
During a Town Meeting in May in Westport, voters rejected allowing recreational marijuana. A majority of selectmen supported the ban.
Fall River-based Green Line Dispensaries Inc. was given the green light in November in Swansea, seeking state licensing for medicinal and medical marijuana dispensaries, with a signed agreement with the Board of Selectmen.
In Somerset, Solar Therapeutics has submitted applications to sell marijuana on the recreational market.
Email Jo C. Goode at jgoode@heraldnews.com.