Massachusetts’ sixth medical marijuana dispensary opened in Lowell Tuesday, according to the Patriot Care medical marijuana dispensary website. Patriot Care has dispensaries scheduled to open in Boston and Greenfield later this year.
While residents in the City of Boston are still waiting for medical marijuana dispensaries to appear within the official limits of the city, The Daily Free Press has been tracking the progress of the medical marijuana dispensary process within the commonwealth.
In April 2015, The Daily Free Press reported the changes to expedite the process of zoning for medical marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts. In September 2015, The Daily Free Press reported the opening of Good Health, a dispensary in Brockton, and related that Boston is still awaiting a dispensary to open its doors within the city.
CEO of Patriot Care Robert Mayerson said the company is looking forward to providing more patients with easier access to and education about medical marijuana.
“Getting licensed was very difficult and took a long time, but ultimately worked out,” Mayerson said. “We are not embarrassed by what we do if we are providing patients with what they need.”
Mayerson said Patriot Care is working with community members to ensure that the dispensary positively benefits residents.
“We worked with neighborhood group leaders, answering their concerns and making sure the opening would be as peaceful as possible,” Mayerson said. “We want to educate people and provide them with the best medicine for their conditions.”
Scott Zoback, spokesperson for the Department of Public Health, said Patriot Care’s Lowell dispensary will prove to be successful in providing patients with the care they require.
“The goal of the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Program is to assure there is feedback and opportunity for the patients who need this type of care,” Zoback said. “Achieving that goal is made possible by the opening of new dispensaries.”
Steven Epstein of Bay State Repeal, an organization that advocates for an end to Massachusetts’ prohibition of marijuana, wrote in an email that medical marijuana is a realistic and effective option for treating pain.
“Every new dispensary creates opportunities for people to receive treatments, many of them have tried other methods that have not worked as well,” Epstein wrote. “As more dispensaries open and more states legalize medicinal use, we can educate more people on the benefits and many uses. It’s not just college kids, it is real people with real problems finding a solution.”
Massachusetts Prevention Alliance is an organization that aims to “develop policy positions based on the best public health and well-being of young people in the Commonwealth,” according to the MAPA’s website. The group states that use of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, harms the development of young people, as their brains are not yet fully formed.
Heidi Heilman, spokesperson for the MAPA, wrote in an email that young people, whose brains are still developing, make up the age group generally exposed to the most marijuana.
“There are still many incomplete studies on how marijuana affects the brain, especially on those of young people,” Heilman wrote. “Youth are exposed to more and more pro-marijuana campaigns every day, and we fear for the escalation of use. It harms their development, but protecting them is getting harder and harder.”
Several residents had mixed feelings about medical marijuana and the new Lowell dispensary.
Allison Jacob, 34, of South End, said medical marijuana can have a positive effect on individuals if properly regulated.
“I think more dispensaries can meet a growing demand for medicinal marijuana,” she said. “As long as regulation is a top priority of officials and the company, I don’t think anything will go wrong at this point in time.”
Maren Anderson, 63, of Downtown Boston, said there is not enough proof that medical marijuana proves beneficial to an individual’s health.
“I don’t believe there’s enough research on the effects of cannabis on the brain yet to be using it so widely for medicinal use,” he said. “This is only going to lead to the legalization of recreational use, which I believe is a bad idea.”
Adam Feldman, 34, of Back Bay, said running a medical marijuana dispensary is something that should be taken seriously.
“If it’s an effective treatment method for some people, then opening another one is a good move,” he said. “It creates more access to treatment, which is good for the patients. Regulating dispensaries to keep it out of the streets should be, and hopefully is, taken seriously.”
