Holyoke – A company that has proposed medical marijuana facilities in Amherst and Springfield and has ties to such plans in Maryland and Illinois, now is looking here, an official said Wednesday.
“We are very interested in the Holyoke community and I believe we will pursue an opportunity there. With that said, we are not prepared to discuss specifics around location or timeline at this point as there is simply nothing definitive about our plans and we have not come to terms on real estate,” Peter Kadens, chief executive officer of GTI-Massachusetts NP Corp. of Boston, said in an email.
He expects details to “firm up” about location and timing next month, he said.
“We have certainly not bought a building at this point. We are in discussions with a seller but it is not any further than that at this point. We hope discussions advance quickly over the next few weeks,” Kadens said.
This comes as the Holyoke City Council Wednesday accepted a letter from a lawyer that said an on-and-off plan to put a medical pot dispensary here from another company apparently was off. Debilitating Medical Condition Treatment Centers, a nonprofit organization, has withdrawn its pursuit of a special permit for such a facility from the City Council, lawyer Joan M. Dietz said.
It was unclear if Dietz’ letter means the company has ended its hunt in Holyoke. Company principals Heriberto Flores, president of the New England Farm Workers Council, of Springfield, and Brian P. Lees, who formerly was a Republican state senator and Hampden County clerk of courts, of East Longmeadow, along with Dietz haven’t returned messages seeking comment.
Debilitating Medical Condition Treatment Centers had proposed a medical marijuana facility for 630 Beaulieu St. in an industrial area of the Springdale Neighborhood.
Kadens was discussing a plan for a medical marijuana facility with the Springfield City Council as recently as Sept. 12.
On Monday in Baltimore Circuit Court, GTI Maryland LLC, of which Kadens is chief executive officer, filed a lawsuit against a state commission that licenses medical marijuana facilities, The Baltimore Sun reported.
“Bethesda-based GTI Maryland contends that the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission broke its own rules last month when it granted preliminary licenses to two companies that were ranked lower by analysts who were charged with assessing the applicants,” The Baltimore Sun reported on its website Sept. 20.
Marijuana, hemp and cannabis are common names for plants of the genus Cannabis, according to mayoclinic.org
In December, Kadens and GTI-Massachusetts NP Corp. were expressing interest in Amherst as the site of a medical pot dispensary. The company is an offshoot of Chicago-based Green Thumb Industries, which opened a dispensary in the suburb of Mundelein, Illinois, in November, the Daily Hampshire Gazette of Northampton reported on its website Dec. 21, 2015.
GTI-Massachusetts was registered as a nonprofit corporation on July 2, 2015, according to state records, the Gazette reported.
Marijuana can be prescribed medically to treat cancer, glaucoma, HIV-AIDS and other illnesses.
Massachusetts voters in 2012 permitted medical marijuana facilities by approving a statewide ballot question, and state law prohibits a city or town from banning such facilities. But the city can regulate where such a facility can be located and require that the permit-holder disclose security measures and discuss issues like hours of operation.
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Full Article: Another Medical Marijuana Company Eyes Holyoke
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