♪ >> AFTER MUCH TALK, RETAIL
MARIJUANA IS LIKELY ON ITS WAY TO WESTERN MASSACHUSTETTS.
AMANDA ROSITANO, THE COMPLIANCE DIRECTOR FOR NEW ENGLAND
TREATMENT ACCESS, JOINED ME IN THE STUDIO RECENTLY TO DISCUSS
THE RETAIL MARIJUANA LICENSE AWARDED TO NETA'S MEDICAL
DISPENSARY IN NORTHAMPTON BY THE MASSACHUSETTS CANNABIS CONTROL
COMMISSION.
>> I THINK THE COMMISSION IS DOING THE BEST JOB THAT THEY CAN
TO GET THINGS IN ORDER FOR US KEEP THINGS OPENED.
OUR HOPE WAS TO HAVE BEEN OPENED BY NOW, HOWEVER, WE UNDERSTAND
THIS IS A NEW INDUSTRY.
THIS IS A NEW ENDEAVOR AND THE COMMISSION, YOU KNOW, WANTS TO
TAKE THEIR TIME SO, YEAH, WE WISH THAT IT WOULD MOVE ALONG A
LITTLE BIT MORE QUICKLY BUT WE UNDERSTAND THE POSITION THE
COMMISSION IS RIGHT NOW. >> AND AT THIS POINT WHILE THE
CANNABIS COMMISSION THE CCC THAT'S EASIER FOR ALL OF US TO
SAY DID GIVE US FINAL APPROVAL THERE'S A COUPLE OF STEPS TO GO
BUT DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF WHEN YOU MIGHT BE OPEN FOR
RECREATIONAL SALES?
>> YOU KNOW, WE'RE HOPING THAT IT'S WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF
WEEKS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO
SORT OF PUSH FORWARD WITH THE FINAL LOOSE ENDS THAT NEEDED TO
BE TIED UP.
SOME OF THOSE ARE ON THE CCC AS WELL TO KIND OF TIE UP ON THEIR
END BEFORE THEY CAN GIVE US THE CERTIFICATE TO GIVE US THE
COMMISSIONS WHICH WE HOPE WILL BE COMING SOON.
>> NEW ENGLAND TREATMENT ACCESS AND HEAR IN THE CONVERSATION
YOU'RE ALREADY OPENING IN NORTHAMPTON.
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
WE'RE TALKING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RECREATIONAL SALES WHICH
ARE NOT YET FINALIZED, PERMITTED FOR AND MEDICINAL WHICH YOU HAVE
BEEN OPEN FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
>> WE'VE BEEN OPEN FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA FOR ABOUT 3 YEARS NOW.
SO WE WILL BE -- A COLOCATED A MEDICAL AND ADULT FACILITY IN
NORTHAMPTON, SO THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR MEDICAL
PATIENTS WILL STILL BE OUR PRIORITY.
THEY'LL COME IN AND HAVE SEPARATE LINES AND SEPARATE --
>> BUT ALL IN THE SAME FACILITY.
>> ALL WITHIN THE SAME FACILITY AND WE'LL BE ALLOWING ADULTS
OVER 21 AND MAKE A PURCHASE.
>> AND I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEEN THE HOLDUP AT THIS
CCC LEVEL HAS BEEN THIS LACK OF A LABORATORY TO, SAY, THIS IS --
THIS RECREATIONAL PRODUCT IS SAFE FOR THE PUBLIC TO USE,
OBVIOUSLY, YOU HAVE SAID YOU HAVE MEDICALAL SIDE OF --
MEDICINAL SIDE OF YOUR BUILDING BUT IT GOES THROUGH SIMILAR BUT
DIFFERENT LABORATORY PROCESS.
>> IT'S THE EXACT SAME LABORATORY PROCESS.
>> BUT AT THE STATE LEVEL THERE NEEDS TO BE A MEDICINAL LAB AND
A RECREATIONAL LAB.
>> FORTUNATELY, THE TWO LABS THAT WE USE CURRENTLY TO TEST
MEDICINAL ARE THE SAME LABS THAT HAVE JUST BEEN FINALLY LICENSED
TO TEST ON THE RECREATIONAL SIDE AND IT'S COMING TOGETHER AND
WE'LL BE USING THE SAME LABS TO ESSENTIALLY TEST THE SAME
PRODUCTS UNDER THE SAME TESTING PROTOCOL.
>> I KNOW THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS YOUR DIRECTOR OF
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ASKED THE CCC TO SORT OF WAIVE BECAUSE AS
YOU SAY THE PROCESSES ARE THE SAME SO THAT'S NO LONGER A
FACTOR WITH THAT NEW PERMITTING AT THE LABORATORY --
>> YEAH, I THINK THAT ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED IN A SENSE THAT
NOW, THE LABS ARE LICENSED SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD IN SELLING THE
PRODUCTS THAT WE HAVE TESTED UNDER THESE LABS.
>> SO ASSUMING BEFORE YOU GET THE FINAL CHECKMARKS, IS THERE
GOING TO BE ENOUGH SUPPLY TO MEET THE DEMAND?
THERE WILL ONLY BE TWO RECREATIONAL STORES IN THE STATE
IF LICENSING GOES AS EXPECTED IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
>> I CAN TELL YOU NETA HAS BEEN WORKING FOR QUITE A PERIOD OF
TIME TO UP ITS INVENTORY AND TO REALLY INCREASE PRODUCTION TO
PREPARE FOR THIS AND THEY CONFIDENT THAT WE'RE IN A GOOD
POSITION AND WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT THE COMMISSION WILL
CONTINUE TO LICENSE ENTITIES SO THAT SUPPLY WILL CONTINUE TO
GROW SO WE'LL SEE HOW IT GOES.
>> CAN WE TALK ABOUT COST FOR A MINUTE.
THE WORLD DRUG REPORT IN 2017 LOOKED AT DIFFERENT STATES,
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES EVEN FOR THE COST OF A GRAM OF MARIJUANA AND
BOSTON POPPED UP AS AMONG THE MOST EXPENSIVE ABOUT $11 A GRAM.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'LL CHARGE AT THIS POINT FOR MARIJUANA?
>> SO OUR -- YEAH, OUR PRICES WILL REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH OUR
MEL PRICES.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WILL REALLY BE THE TAX THAT WILL BE IMPOSED
ON THE ADULT-USE SIDE.
>> AND THAT TOTALS OF 20% -- >> YEP, THAT'S CORRECT.
YEP, THAT'S CORRECT.
>> SO THAT SAME REPORT THAT LOOKED AT THIS PRICE OF
MARIJUANA FOR PLACES THAT HAD EITHER FULLY LEGALIZED OR
PARTIALLY LEGALLIZED LOOKED AT THE ILLEGAL MARKET AS WELL AND
YOU'RE LOOKING AT $2 A GRAM IF YOU BUY ON THE BLACK MARKET SO
WHAT'S GOING TO BE THE INS INSIXTEENIVE FOR PEOPLE IN
MASSACHUSETTS TO USE A LICENSED LEGAL AUTHORITY.
>> WELL, THEY CAN BE ASSURED THAT THOSE PRODUCTS ARE SAFE,
THAT THEY'VE BEEN TESTED BY AN INDEPENDENT LABORATORY.
THEY CAN KNOW EXACTLY THE CANNABINOID CONTENT IN THEIR
PRODUCTS SO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE GETTING.
>> SO EXPLAIN WHAT THAT MEANS?
>> CANNABIS HAS A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT STRAINS AND THOSE
STRAINS MAY HAVE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT
COMPOUNDS THAT MAKE CANNABIS WHAT IT IS.
THC VERSUS CBD AND THE PERCENTAGE OF THOSE THINGS SO
YOU COME TO A DISPENSARY AND YOU REALLY HAVE A CHOICE IN REGARDS
TO WHICH PRODUCTS ARE GOING TO BE RIGHT FOR YOU FOR PURCHASING
ON THE BLACK MARKET, YOU KNOW, THAT CHOICE IS REALLY LIMITED IF
IT'S LIMITED AT ALL. >> AND THE THC THAT'S THE ACTIVE
INGREDIENT THAT ACTIVATES THE HIGH IN THE PRODUCT; CORRECT?
>> THAT'S CORRECT.
NOWADAYS THERE'S QUITE A DEMAND FOR PRODUCTS THAT DON'T MAKE YOU
FEEL HIGH OR THAT PSYCHOACTIVE EFFECT.
THE CBD PRODUCTS THAT REDUCE INFLAMMATION AND WORK WITH PAIN.
A LOT OF OUR PATIENTS NOW ARE REALLY MOVING TOWARDS THOSE
TYPES OF PRODUCTS THAT PROVIDE RELIEF WITHOUT A PSYCH ACTIVE
EFFECT SO THAT'S ANOTHER BENEFIT TO COMING TO A DISPENSARY SO
YOU'LL HAVE ACCESS TO PRODUCTS THAT ARE NOT AS LIKELY TO BE ON
THE BLACK MARKET SUCH AS TOPICALS AND LOTIONS AND
CAPSULES, YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST -- THE VARIETY WILL BE
MUCH, MUCH MORE BROAD IF YOU'RE COMING TO A DISPENSARY
ESPECIALLY AT NETA WHERE WE HAVE 160 DIFFERENT PRODUCTS.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS COME UP IN THE LAST YEAR SINCE
RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA HAS BEEN LEGALIZED IS THIS CONCEPT OF
LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD BECAUSE MARIJUANA WAS ILLEGAL.
THERE WERE MINORITY GROUPS AND COMMUNITIES THAT WERE JUST
DISADVANTAGED BECAUSE OF THIS AND THE CCC WORKED REALLY HARD,
THEY SAY, TO LEVEL THAT PLACING FIELD IN SOME WAY BUT I THINK
THERE'S PEOPLE WHO LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, OKAY, THE TWO COMPANIES
THAT ARE FIRST BEING LICENSED ALREADY ARE IN THE GAME.
THEY HAVE MEDICINAL LOCATIONS SO DO YOU HAVE AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THE COMMISSION, YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN
WORKING REALLY HARD TO GET SOME OF THESE -- WHAT THEY CALL
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT APPLICANTS UP AND RUNNING BUT THE FACT OF
THE MATTER IS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE ARE ESTABLISHED, WE'RE MORE
PREPARED, SO I DON'T KNOW NECESSARILY THINK THAT WE'RE
GIVEN AN ADVANTAGE.
I THINK WE HAVE AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE
THIS -- WE HAVE THE EXPERIENCE SO I THINK THAT THE COMMISSION
IS REALLY THE STILL PUTTING A LOT OF FOCUS ON HOW THEY CAN
REALLY HELP THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN DISADVANTAGED BY THE WAR ON
DRUGS GET INTO THE MARKET AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT A LOT OF
THE -- THE EXISTING DISPENSARY ARE HELPING THOSE PLAYERS IN THE
MARKET AS WELL.
>> ONE OTHER THING THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM PEOPLE WHEN WE HAD A
TOWN HALL HERE PUBLIC SAFETY BECAUSE THERE AREN'T
RESTRICTIONS ON HOW HIGH IS HIGH.
DO YOU HAVE SAFETY MEASURES FOR PEOPLE YOU MIGHT NOT SELL TO,
RECREATIONALLY.
>> YEAH, I WOULD SAY SIMILAR TO IF YOU'RE OPERATING BAR AND
THEY'RE VISIBLY INTOXICATED AND YOU THINK BY SERVING THEM DO YOU
THINK YOU'RE GOING TO CREATE ANY KIND OF HARM, YET, WE HAVE THE
RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE IF THAT'S NECESSARY SO WE WOULD DO
THAT IN THAT EVENT, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME
EDUCATING OUR PATIENTS AND WE'LL DO THE SAME WITH OUR ADULT-USE
CONSUMERS AS IT RELATES TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE CALL LOW AND SLOW,
DOSING VERY, VERY LOW SO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN TOLERANCE,
SEEK STORAGE, STORING PRODUCTS OUT OF REACH, YOU KNOW, AND
REALLY IN A WAY THAT PRODUCTS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO SHOULDN'T
GET THEIR HANDS ON IT. ♪
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