Cannabis

Decision on Cannabis Retailer’s Fight Over ‘Impact’ Fees a Year Away; Judge Decries ‘Bickering’

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A court decision over the legality of cannabis “impact fees” Haverhill charges a local retailer is about a year away. As expected, the final pre-trial conference Tuesday, presided over by Judge Jeffrey T. Karp in Essex County Superior Court, Newburyport, did nothing to resolve the issue itself, but did set a date for the court case to begin. In fact, the court heard no peripheral issues such as settlement talks between Haverhill Stem and Mayor James J. Fiorentini and the City of Haverhill. Stem attorney Thomas K. MacMillan told the judge he expects the trial will take between 15 to 25 days, a length of time the judge said would not be available until next year noting that, due to COVID-19, the court is only now hearing cases from 2016. Ultimately, all parties agreed to a start date of Monday, Feb.

Cannabis

Haverhill City Council Signs Off on Paying for Substance Abuse Programs, But Asks if it is Enough

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The Haverhill City Council gave its approval this week to allocating money to a pair of drug abuse and addiction programs, but questioned whether the amount is enough to be effective. The two programs, Cannabis Prevention and Intervention and Opioid Abuse Prevention and Treatment, are to be operated by NFI Massachusetts, an agency with Haverhill roots dating back to 1969. The company offers residential substance abuse and, since 2015, has also provided a social worker to help police when dealing with overdose services. Kim Boiselle, director of the Structured Outpatient Addiction Program, described some of the NFI’s work . “We provide individual group and family therapy.

Cannabis

Haverhill Wins Round in Cannabis Impact Fee Case, But Judge Calls City’s Eventual Success in Question

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Haverhill won the latest round against a suit brought by a downtown cannabis retailer, but the Superior Court judge expressed no confidence the city will eventually succeed. Superior Court Judge James F. Lang called his own decision “constrained” by the need for more factfinding. Stem Haverhill previously asked the court to quickly conclude the case over disputed local impact fees in Stem’s favor. The case was heard Nov. 15 in Newburyport and the decision was made public Monday.

Cannabis

Northern Essex Community College Begins Offering 8-Week Cannabis Industry Certificate Courses

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Northern Essex Community College is taking registrations for three cannabis industry-related certificate courses. It is the first community college in northeastern Massachusetts to offer job training in the industry, offering Advanced Manufacturing Agent, Advanced Dispensary Associate Program and Advanced Cultivation Technician Program. The courses are administered by Ventura, Calif.-based Green Flower. “At NECC, we are committed to offering training for upwardly mobile jobs and responding to the need of the local industry. We’re excited for this latest collaboration which was two years in the making and includes many partnerships,” says Northern Essex Vice President of Institutional Advancement Allison Dolan-Wilson.

Cannabis

Haverhill Councilors Note New Cannabis Fee Law, Seek Money for Drug Prevention, Treatment

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Haverhill city councilors are expected tonight to discuss the impact of a new state law requiring renegotiation of impact fees paid by cannabis retailers and communities. Councilor Melissa J. Lewandowski and Council Vice President John A. Michitson placed the item on City Council agenda. They appeared to acknowledge expected dollars from such agreements may not be available, noting the need for “allocation of other funding towards preventative and addiction treatment services.”

As WHAV reported a month ago, Gov. Charlie Baker signed legislation mandating new host agreements with cities and towns following what one Haverhill cannabis shop owned calls “municipal extortion that has hampered small entrepreneurs.” Caroline Pineau, CEO and owner of Stem of downtown Haverhill, was among those advocating for a change in the law. She went so far as to file suit last year against Haverhill, saying adult-use cannabis shop should not pay “community impact” fees unless the city proves the added cost of hosting such businesses. Last January, councilors agreed to use Cannabis Local Impact Fees, collected from the city’s four retailers, to pay for youth mental health programs. Councilors agreed to requests by Mayor James J. Fiorentini to add $171,000 to the city’s Youth Activities/Mental Health Stabilization Fund and use $42,000 to pay for analyses of several risk behavior surveys designed to help develop to fight youth substance abuse.

Beacon Hill News

Baker Signs Cannabis Reform, Limiting Fees Cities Charge; Law a Victory for Stem that Sued Haverhill

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A court battle between Haverhill and a downtown cannabis shop may be moot now that Gov. Charlie Baker has signed legislation that requires communities to renegotiate “impact fees” in host agreements. Besides forcing renegotiation of host community agreements, the bill creates a Social Equity Trust Fund which would pay for loans and grants aimed at supporting people of color and others “disproportionately harmed by the War on Drugs” and move closer to social pot consumption sites. The bill was previously approved by both houses of the state legislature. It was supported by such local legislators as Sen. Diana DiZoglio and Reps. Linda Dean Campbell, Lenny Mirra, Andy X. Vargas and Christina A. Minicucci.

Cannabis

State Notes Increase in Accidental Pediatric Poisonings Related to Cannabis Products

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State officials are seeing an increase in pediatric exposure to cannabis products, and there is an effort afoot to respond with a public information campaign. “We really feel as if like much more information needs to be out there,” Patricia Henley of the Department of Public Health said Monday morning. Henley told fellow members of a Cannabis Advisory Board Public Health Subcommittee that officials received 210 calls in 2020 about “accidental pediatric poisonings” involving cannabis edibles or flower. “Essentially what our Injury Prevention Program has been seeing is an increase in pediatric exposure to cannabis products,” she said. She added, the state Office of The Child Advocate noted an increase in reporting of suspected abuse and neglect “because of pediatric cannabis exposure.”

Henley said the Department of Public Health is developing a campaign to revise and update its educational materials, with a focus on responsible use, safe storage and exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke.

Cannabis

Cannabis Control Commission to Accept Impact Feedback from Haverhill

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Clarification: While Lawrence is not listed as a “Disproportionately Impacted Area,” the Commission said it will accept feedback form all communities. For the next five weeks, the Cannabis Control Commission is accepting feedback from residents of Haverhill and other communities it says have been disproportionately affected by cannabis prohibition. While Haverhill and Lowell are listed as disproportionately impacted, Lawrence is not. Last fall, CCC Commissioner Nurys Camargo broached the subject of adding Lawrence, which has the largest Hispanic and Latino population in the stat. She said the city was not designated in 2018 “due to limited data.” A March 2021 study that remains under Commission review similarly left Lawrence off its list for the same reason.