Littleton – Medical-marijuana company Sanctuary Medicinals, Inc., which already operates in New Hampshire, is looking to open a cultivation site to grow their product in Littleton.
Representatives from the company spoke before the Board of Selectmen Monday night to explain their goals in town. Sanctuary Medicinals hopes to convert a 35,000-square-foot building located at 234 Taylor St. into a facility for the growth of cannabis plants and development of medicinal treatments using the crop.
“Why Littleton? It’s absolutely conveniently located,” said Jason Sidman, CEO of Sanctuary Medicinals. “The dispensing locations we’re looking at are all within a half-hour drive time from this spot.
On the electric side, you have your own electric company, which is extremely beneficial.”
Sanctuary Medicinals is currently one of two companies pursuing a cultivation site in Littleton. Earlier this month, Mission Massachusetts, Inc., presented a case to set up on 245 Foster St.
Littleton has a Registered Marijuana Dispensary Overlay District that was established by Town Meeting in 2014, and the zoning bylaws allow for one registered marijuana dispensary to operate in town. To proceed, either of the two applicants will need to acquire a letter of support or a letter of non-opposition from the Board of Selectmen.
In their remarks, Sanctuary Medicinals officials stressed the Littleton facility would not do any cash business.
“It will be a cultivation site only,” Sidman said. “There would never be anything for the public.”
The Sanctuary Medicinals operation would create between 15 and 25 jobs, and it would have extensive security measures, including biometric scanners and a bank vault, to ensure safety.
Also present Monday was the police chief of Rochester, New Hampshire, where Sanctuary Medicinals currently operates. He told the board that he initially had trepidation about the medical-marijuana industry, but now supports the company and its efforts.
“I’m here to tell you that my concerns have diminished completely,” he said. “We’ve had zero calls for service there. We’ve had zero complaints from any of the neighbors … No crime issues, no quality-of-life concerns at all.”
The board plans to continue the discussion at a future meeting, and town officials complimented Sanctuary Medicinals for the presentation Monday.
“The way this group has come in has eased a lot of my fears to this point,” said Littleton Police Chief Matthew King. “For all appearances, they’d be a great community partner.”
Before the medical-marijuana presentation, selectmen discussed a variety of topics ranging from personnel reorganization to development projects in town. They announced that the track at the Russell Street School will be replaced at no charge to the town as part of a settlement with the manufacturer.
The board also acknowledged that the state Attorney General’s office found no violation of the Open Meeting Law as alleged in a complaint earlier this year.
Jane Chrisfield filed the complaint in May alleging that the board went into executive session seven times over the course of four months to discuss Couper Farm and offered only vague descriptions of the reasons for doing so as to discuss the “value” of the property.
However, the state attorney general’s office found the postings to be of “sufficient detail” and closed the case without issuing a violation.
“We take a lot of pride in what we do in these positions,” Selectman James Karr said. “It’s tough to have these allegations thrown at you day in and day out. It’s always nice when it comes back from the authority having jurisdiction that says, ‘you did the right thing and you didn’t violate any laws.'”
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