Brookline Cannabis Retailers Keep Walk Ins, But Must Cut Hours

BROOKLINE, MA — Town Meeting voted to shorten the hours of operation for any cannabis retailers in town, voted against requiring all recreational use marijuana establishments to be appointment only and chose to have the Select Board's licensing committee consider putting together a study committee to assess the effectiveness of the town's marijuana bylaws and policies.

The votes came after more than two and a half hours of discussion.

"These Warrant Articles are being submitted to address an unacceptable situation involving the implementation of retail sales of adult use marijuana in Brookline," the petition reads.

The proposal to have the town's legislative branch vote to update regulations "to better integrate recreational cannabis sales into Brookline's neighborhoods" at the Special Town Meeting Thursday night came about after more than 900 residents signed a petition to make it happen.

A group of neighbors say they've had NETA customers blocking their driveways, littering, smoking in public near their homes, urinating in public, and being loud coming to and from NETA at times of the day when children are trying to sleep. The group insist they're not anti-marijuana, but they are for more regulation when it comes to the establishments, which are new to the state.

"We created our bylaws long before we had our first shop," Brookline resident Paul Warren told Patch previously. "It's incumbent upon us to adjust."

NETA officials, meanwhile, indicated they were willing to change the shop's hours, but asked the town put the $1.4 millions it was required to give it as part of the agreement for setting up shop here, toward mitigation of any nuisance, as the money was intended before tightening regulations.

David Leschinsky of Eureka Puzzles, who is also the Coolidge Corner Merchants Association president, told Town Meeting that some businesses who expressed they weren't opposed to a cannabis shop opening in the area have been threatened.

There are issues with NETA he said, but "that doesn't mean you throw the baby out with the bathwater."

Leschinsky said Coolidge Corner, like many places in the country are experiencing a dying retail environment and the demand that retail marijuana creates right now could help Coolidge Corner.

"Please do not try to manage how individual businesses have to operate," he said. "We don't do that when the Booksmith has lines outside their street to hear an author; We don't do that when the Coolidge Corner Theatre has lines going into the parking lot for the Jewish film festival; We didn't do it for Trader Joe's."

Town Meeting member Caitlin Studdard of Precinct 2, raised another concern.

"I do actually fear that the crusade against NETA is a crusade against legalized marijuana in general," she said.

Others said they remained concerned.

"We know they don't want to be regulated, but this is our town. We get to set the standards," Jane Gilman of precinct 3 said of NETA. She went on to call the 3 percent mitigation fee a Golden Goose.
"But I think this Golden Goose is pooping on us," she said.

The proposal only applies to retail marijuana and not the sale of medical marijuana or delivery-only marijuana in town.

Article 1 - Limiting the hours surrounding operation of retailers

• Vote: Motion passes 161 in favor, 64 against and 5 abstaining

Article 2 - Limiting marijuana retailers to reserve ahead only (with an amendment)

• Vote: Motion fails, with only 107 in favor, 118 against and 3 abstaining.

Article 3 - A resolution asking the town not issue new operating licenses for retail marijuana establishments until the select board appoints a study committee and the committee submits recommendations.

• Vote: Referring to a licensing review committee passed 119 voted in favor, 110 voted against and 2 abstained.

Read more about this:

• Brookline Town Meeting Night 2: Brookline Bans Fossil Fuels, Renames Coolidge Corner
• Brookline Town Meeting Night 1: Stipends, Driscoll, Oak Street
• 9 Brookline Businesses, Including NETA, Win Best Of ...
• What To Do About Pot Shops In Brookline? Residents ...
• Man Arrested After Parking Lot Debacle At NETA In Brookline ...
• Brookline Pushes For Special Town Meeting On Marijuana Regulation
• New Marijuana Dispensary Planned In Brookline

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).