A Massachusetts mayor has a plan for aging mill buildings in his city that have sat empty for years: grow marijuana in them. Mayor Alex Morse said the large mills along canals provide the perfect conditions for growing marijuana, along with space, access to the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 91. "It's legal at this point and they need to go somewhere, so why not Holyoke with the assets that we have here?" Morse said. Morse said Holyoke also has some of the cheapest water and power in the state. "For us it's a common sense solution to our abundance of vacant mill space that we have, particularly in downtown Holyoke," Morse said. It would also bring jobs to the city, which has a poverty rate almost three times the state average. "Jobs can either get created in surrounding communities for other residents, or we can take advantage of that opportunity here in Holyoke, employ Holyoke people, and Holyoke families, increase our tax base, increase revenue, and really emerge as a leader in this industry," Morse said. Morse said 60 percent of voters in Holyoke voted in November to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

A Massachusetts mayor has a plan for aging mill buildings in his city that have sat empty for years: grow marijuana in them.

Mayor Alex Morse said the large mills along canals provide the perfect conditions for growing marijuana, along with space, access to the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 91.


"It's legal at this point and they need to go somewhere, so why not Holyoke with the assets that we have here?" Morse said.

Morse said Holyoke also has some of the cheapest water and power in the state.

"For us it's a common sense solution to our abundance of vacant mill space that we have, particularly in downtown Holyoke," Morse said.



It would also bring jobs to the city, which has a poverty rate almost three times the state average.

"Jobs can either get created in surrounding communities for other residents, or we can take advantage of that opportunity here in Holyoke, employ Holyoke people, and Holyoke families, increase our tax base, increase revenue, and really emerge as a leader in this industry," Morse said.



Morse said 60 percent of voters in Holyoke voted in November to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

