Pubdate: Fri, 22 Nov 2013
Source: Standard-Times (New Bedford, MA)
Copyright: 2013 South Coast Media Group
Contact:  http://www.southcoasttoday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/422
Author: Jon Mitchell
Note: Jon Mitchell is mayor of New Bedford.

STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

My job as mayor is to put the overall interest of the city first, and 
propose solutions that balance competing interests as best as 
possible. My approach to the issue of locating medical marijuana 
facilities in the city is a good example.

The legal use of marijuana for medical purposes is new to 
Massachusetts, having been approved by voters last year. Marijuana 
production and dispensing facilities are now being proposed for sites 
across New Bedford. Facing this uncharted territory, my 
administration has attempted to understand the state's new medical 
marijuana regulations, how marijuana facilities operate and the 
effect the facilities could have on our city.

After several months of meetings with marijuana developers, a 
personal tour of an existing facility in Rhode Island, and a careful 
evaluation of the costs and benefits, I sent a letter last week to 
the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that outlines the 
licensing approach I believe would work best for New Bedford.

In this case, putting the overall interest of the City first means 
proposing some general parameters that balance the competing 
interests of neighborhoods, residents looking for jobs and those who 
want access to marijuana to treat health conditions.

It's not about being for or against medical marijuana; it is one 
thing to support legalization for all of Massachusetts, but the 
question of whose neighborhood the facility should go in is quite 
another matter. Nor is it about supporting or opposing any particular proposal.

Rather, it's about setting fair, reasonable boundaries that are 
appropriate for densely populated urban areas.

In my letter to the state, I held open the possibility of support for 
a developer whose proposal would (1) restrict itself to a secure 
production facility in the New Bedford Business Park, an exclusively 
industrial area, (2) locate its related dispensary in a retail area 
outside the city with public transportation access, and (3) provide a 
mitigation agreement to offset the facility's community impact.

These parameters are based on a careful assessment of the tradeoffs 
with production facilities and dispensaries.

One of the most pressing law enforcement problems our city faces is 
the black market for prescription drugs. Our Police Department 
believes the diversion of painkillers and other prescription drugs is 
a growing problem that directly threatens the safety and well-being 
of the community, and that marijuana dispensaries might introduce yet 
another drug diversion problem.

I am especially troubled by the possibility that under the 
regulations, a patient may be prescribed up to 10 ounces of marijuana 
in a 60-day period. That is a sizeable amount of marijuana, which 
would have a street value of approximately $1,200. The incentive for 
some patients to re-sell their prescriptions would be real and 
powerful, and would pose a problem regardless of the dispensary's 
location in the city.

Locating facilities in dense urban neighborhoods also would be 
fraught with risk. The Police Department has noted that because 
marijuana facilities in such places would be more difficult to 
secure, facility employees may be more likely to be extorted.

Moreover, the prospect of a major marijuana facility setting up in 
close proximity to schools, playgrounds and churches is unsettling to 
many residents. One parent posed the question to me bluntly, "Would 
you want to raise your child across the street from a marijuana factory?"

New Bedford's reputation is ascending, and we are working hard to 
enhance the city's image. New Bedford's improving brand helps to spur 
private investment and create more jobs. The marketing associated 
with dispensaries, however, might undermine all that positive 
momentum. Advertising that directly connects New Bedford with 
marijuana distribution will inevitably reinforce the negative 
stereotypes of the City that we are striving to undo.

These costs would not be offset by the direct economic benefits. 
Dispensaries are in effect small retail businesses. They generate few 
jobs. The dispensary we visited in Rhode Island, for instance, had 
only four full-time employees.

Moreover, in my view, the establishment of a dispensary within the 
city's borders cannot be justified by the need for accessible health care.

For New Bedford residents who believe that their medical conditions 
can be effectively treated only by marijuana, there are numerous 
retail locations in the surrounding communities that are readily 
accessible by car or public transportation.

The case for production centers, if located properly, tilts slightly 
in the other direction. By credible estimates, the production centers 
would yield 50 or so full-time, though low-paying, jobs. The key is 
to mitigate the threat to neighborhood quality of life by limiting 
such facilities to isolated, non-residential areas, like the Business Park.

At the end of the day, New Bedford residents deserve from their 
government transparent decision-making based on the facts. Whether 
it's medical marijuana facilities or some other matter, it's the 
approach that residents can count on from me, now and in the future.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom