NETA Responds To Brookline Fears About Marijuana

BROOKLINE, MA — There are two things New England Treatment Access officials want residents to know as some are raising concern - citing everything from a perceived uptick in public urination, to more trash and less parking - surrounding whether cannabis retailers need more regulation in town.

The town has not yet spent the $1.4 million that's supposed to go toward mitigating any impact the business has brought to Brookline Village, and the folks who come in to purchase cannabis for adult use recreation mirror what people are coming in for medical help, they just don't want to be part of a state registry.

"Our opposition is painting a picture about cannabis consumers, they're making a real generalization that cannabis consumers are a nuisance; and that's just not true," said Amanda Rositano, president of NETA. "Cannabis consumers are doctors lawyers, professionals and high income and low income, black and white. There's just no one type."

What opponents say: Brookline Pushes For Special Town Meeting On Marijuana Regulation

In response to push back, as previously reported, from a group of Brookline residents complaining about fallout from allowing adult use recreational marijuana in town, NETA - the first marijuana establishment accessible by T in Greater Boston - sent a letter to the select board and offered to shorten their business's hours.

It's a move, those who say cannabis retailers need more regulation, was made in desperation.

Monday, the Select Board voted to reduce NETA's hours: Monday through Saturday the shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday the shop will only be open from noon to 6 p.m.

This in effect, makes one of the three proposed town regulations, set to come before the town's legislative branch later this month, moot to that retailer. But NETA officials say the other two proposals set to come before the town, including going to appointment only, like Newton requires, should wait.

The business officials say residents are asking them to recreate their business model.

• READ MORE ABOUT THIS Brookline Pushes For Special Town Meeting On Marijuana Regulation

Amanda Rositano, president of the company, argues data show that crime has not gone up in the months since NETA opened for business to recreational cannabis sales.

But Brookline Police Lt. Derek Hayes told the Select Board said there's been a measurable uptick in the number of citizen complaints. Serious crime, however, - larcenies and violent crime - hasn't increased in the area near NETA since it opened, he said.

Between May and September there were more than 400 instances where officers have given special attention to this area in addition to responding to calls for service and parking enforcement, Hayes told the Select Board. The vast majority of these reported there were no violations found. And those where there were violations, it was because of parking or moving violations.

In two instances citations were issued for public consumption of marijuana. The year before two citations were also given, according to police data.

Between March 1 and Sept. 30, of the 27 serious crimes reported in Brookline Village, only one involved a NETA customer and police said it was a domestic abuse incident. The remaining Part A crimes were unrelated to NETA or could not be attributed to NETA. There were also four other instances that involved NETA customers, those were either classified as not serious crimes, or were only attempts at a crime.

"As far as citizen-initiated complaints town-wide there were 128 citizen reported incidents of public consumption, 18 of the complaints were in the several block area surrounding NETA," said Hayes. "One of those complaints amounted to an arrest with the remaining complaints being cleared without a violation or not being observed by responding officers."

Townwide there were seven calls for public urination, three of which were in the area of NETA, he said, but police could not attribute those to NETA customers.

Why assume they're NETA customers?

Rositano said she takes people's concerns seriously, as the neighborhood is changing, but asks, how anyone can tell that the people misbehaving are NETA customers? For one, the business has bathrooms inside and two Porta Potties outside for those waiting in line.

"I would argue that if there are customers that are acting inappropriate, a that it's a very, very small percentage," she said. "We have generally responsible adults who are coming to our business to buy a legal product."

Neighbors have pointed to the brown paper bags in the hands of people parking where they shouldn't or urinating or being loud as evidence. They've taken photos and showed up en mass to Select Board Meetings to make their views known. But NETA officials said on one of their recent weekly trash pickup efforts, of the five bags of trash staff picked up from the area, only about a quarter of one trash back was filled with wrappers or items that come from the business.

She pointed to the other construction nearby: There's an influx of construction happening at the Audi dealership, the people coming and going daily from the newly built hotel, the construction at One Place. Then there is the fact that this school year the Brookline High School freshman class (and the teachers and staff that accompany them) started using the Old Lincoln building. And in March the Brookline District Court started taking on cases from Brighton, bringing in a whole other crowd, while that court is under renovation.

All of that contributes to parking difficulties and an uptick in the sheer number of people in the area. That's not necessarily a bad thing, either, they argue, noting businesses in the Village have benefited.

"New development, new businesses and new faces visiting the Brookline Village business district brings economic growth and vibrancy into the Brookline community," she said.

On a recent Thursday around noon, there was only one man standing in line at NETA. Several older adults were walking out of the building and waiting to cross the street with the tell-tale brown paper bag in hand. Traffic appeared flowing along Boylston Street, with one or two spaces open along the road. There were cars lining White Place, but a sign directed NETA customers to park in lots. On Friday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. the line was longer and there were several people, some with gray or white hair others appearing to be younger, walking down the street with brown NETA bags. There were multiple parking spaces open along Boylston Street.

Rositano said NETA has already seen their lines reducing and she expects that will continue to happen, as it did in Northampton when they opened there.

"NETA has always committed to working with our neighbors when concerns arise we take immediate action, when we can do something we do something. We encourage folks to come to us.
We want to know about them, and find solutions," she said. "We want people to understand that we're really committed to this community."

Among recent solutions the business has pointed to as having implemented on its own: NETA bought and now manages a trash can near the corner of White Place and moved a detail officer to watch White Place area to help folks there feel safer, and it donated some $875,000 to the community.

"The community impact fees haven't been spent, we just ask that the town address that before restructuring," said Rositano.

NETA Brookline 2019 Annual Community Meeting Report Or What NETA is doing

Read more about this:

• 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

And the select board meeting this week:

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).