The CEO of Sanctuary Medicinals hopes to open a medical marijuana dispensary in the Ward Hill Industrial Park.
Jason Sidman of Salem, N.H., told City Council Tuesday that he has an agreement with the owner of 39 Shelley Road, the current location of Manufacturer’s Rubber and Supply.
The 2.14-acre parcel is zoned light industrial and provides 24 parking spaces, Sidman said.
Currently, the only location in Haverhill zoned to allow medical marijuana sales is an 80-acre section of the Broadway business park that encompasses Computer and Research drives.
However, Sidman said his company was unable to find a suitable location in that area.
The Shelley Road lot is next to B.J.’s Wholesale Club, surrounded by heavy vegetation, and easily accessible from Interstate 495, Sidman said.
Sanctuary is the first of at least two and potentially three medical marijuana companies interested in locating in Haverhill, Mayor James J. Fiorentini told the council.
The mayor described himself as a passionate supporter of medical marijuana.
“This isn’t about getting high. This is about people with glaucoma. This is about people who suffer from seizures. This is about people with severe pain and it can alleviate their suffering,” Fiorentini said.
The mayor said he has had family members who used prescribed medical marijuana to ease the nausea they experienced as a result of chemotherapy to treat cancer.
Once the other companies have made presentations to the council, Fiorentini suggested field trips to visit each operation.
He also suggested revitalizing a marijuana zoning committee.
The companies are seeking a letter from the city saying it does not oppose their plans to set up a dispensary.
Fiorentini said that even though he has the authority to award the letter without council approval, he will bring the question before the council if any of the companies prove themselves worthy.
The final step would be to negotiate a host community agreement, which would provide a financial benefit, allowing the city to consider expenditures such as hiring more police, offering free kindergarten, opening an early childhood center, or hiring a second opiate counselor in the schools.
In his presentation to the council, Sidman noted that Sanctuary was the first company to open a medical marijuana dispensary in New Hampshire. The company also operates a cultivation site in that state.
Haverhill would be Sanctuary’s second location, Sidman said. The company recently opened a dispensary in Gardner and is about to break ground on a cultivation site in Littleton.
Sidman said Sanctuary grows all its own product, and creates custom medicinal products from therapeutic cannabis, including pills, patches, tinctures, salves and edibles.