Newton On Track For State's First Marijuana Research Facility

NEWTON, MA — The Cannabis Control Commission voted unanimously to approve a final license to Curaleaf Processing, Inc. to operate the Commonwealth’s first Marijuana research facility on Riverview Avenue.

Founded in New York in 2010, Curaleaf is one of the nation’s leading dispensers of medical and recreational marijuana. When applying for the ability to operate the facility, it named two ways its operation can positively impact “disproportionately harmed people.” The first goal explains the company’s intent to hire 5 percent of its employees from Boston, Chelsea, and Revere, as well as an additional 10 percent of individuals who have past drug-related convictions. In the second goal, Curaleaf pledges to donate a minimum of $5,000 annually to other organizations that empower disproportionately impacted people.

According to the CCC, the facility was found to be in full compliance with state law after a September inspection.

“We are excited to move the state’s first-ever Research Facility license forward in the hopes that it will contribute to a safer regulated cannabis industry, rooted in science,” CCC Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins said. “This licensee has worked diligently over the last two years to bring this facility to the Commonwealth, and we look forward to the work their team will accomplish after their receipt of a research permit.”