The Board of Selectmen unanimously decided to take no action on Alternative Therapies Group’s request for a letter of non-opposition to open a second medical marijuana dispensary in Saugus. Selectmen referred the issue to their March 2 meeting.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Debra Panetta emphasized that clerk Wendy Reed advertised the Jan. 20 meeting heavily in order to give citizens an opportunity to voice their opinions on the controversial issue.

“This is a discussion,” Panetta said.

Opponents state case

Opponents largely spoke to protest the proposed location of the Alternative Therapies Group facility. The dispensary would be located on Osprey Road, which is between Route 1 and Route 99 near the Melrose and Malden border. Bill Cooper, of Cooper Paving, owns the proposed site where three rental properties currently stand.

Virginia Howard has lived in one of Cooper’s rental properties for eight years, and she urged selectmen to find another location for the dispensary.

“Just because I rent, my opinion should still count,” Howard said. “Especially since I’ll be out on the street if and when the dispensary goes to Osprey Road because the house I live in will be torn down and used as a parking lot. There are other places available on Route 1.”

Osprey Road resident Chris Richardson said that if the medical marijuana facility moved in, he’d be the only resident left on the street.

“I don’t think anybody here is opposed to medical marijuana,” Richardson said. “The only problem I have is the location. I live directly across the street. I’ve lived there for 41 years. If this place goes up, I would be the only person in the entire area.”

Bill Horrigan, owner of Business Copy Associates on Osprey Road, has been a vocal opponent of Alternative Therapies Group coming to the area.

“This is not about somebody else’s pain,” Horrigan said. “This is about the location of this facility. This type of facility attracts an element that can be dangerous to other people, to my employees and even to some of my clients coming into my business. I think medical marijuana is probably a good thing, but I don’t think that’s the image right off Route 1 that Saugus really wants to project. It’s just the wrong location.”

Business Copy Associates Vice President David McGeney asserted that the company was not debating the merits of medical marijuana, only the Osprey Road location.

“I have a number of different examples of how close this is to Route 1, how visible this is to Route 1,” McGeney said, holding up an image of the area with a marijuana leaf superimposed onto Osprey Road.

Beside the image was written, “Approval for this proposal is a ‘Green Light’ for recreational marijuana sales on Rt. 1 in Saugus.”

McGeney also questioned the legitimacy of some people’s need for medical marijuana.

“People who can get medical marijuana today need only to be diagnosed, certainly with serious illnesses, but also anxiety, depression, ADD,” McGeney said. “I daresay 99 percent of the American population could qualify. Imagine your doctor giving you these prescriptions; products called Jack the Ripper, Serious Happiness, White Rhino. This is drug culture jargon.”

McGeney added that if Alternative Therapies Group moved to Saugus, the eventual sale of recreational marijuana at the dispensary would be inevitable.

“They are preparing for legalized recreational marijuana sales,” McGeney said. “That is what this facility would become. Mark my words.”

Proponents speak up

Several residents came to voice support for the medical marijuana facility. Precinct 4 Town Meeting Member Bill Leuci, who represents the area where Alternative Therapies Group would be located, discussed the benefit of medical marijuana for people with serious medical conditions.

“I buried a very good friend of mine today who had Parkinson’s,” Leuci said. “That would have helped him. My wife and son both had cancer. That would have helped them. My niece has seizures and that would help her. Medical marijuana, as far as I’m concerned, is a drug that could be dispensed in a pharmacy. If a pharmacy was going to be located down there, I don’t think we’d have a problem.”

As a Town Meeting member, Leuci said it is his duty to help the people of his precinct.

“That area has turned into a very industrial area,” Leuci said. “I want to help the people in my area and I am all for it.”

Opsrey Road resident John Paglierani also recounted personal experience with the benefits of medical marijuana, noting that his brother used medical marijuana to cope with blindness.

Paglierani added that his son who passed away from cancer could have used medical marijuana to help with his final stages and that the drug may help his daughter, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 10 years ago.

“I’m sure eventually she’ll be turning to that, and if it’s going to help her, I want to see it help her,” Paglierani said. “If the board has a chance to put in clauses [to prevent the sale of recreational marijuana], I feel it’s a foolproof thing.”

David Hussey said medical marijuana helped him cope with nausea and fatigue when he had cancer, adding that the Osprey Road location would be convenient for people who need the drug.

“I actually think it’s a great location,” Hussey said. “To make it easy for people to get to it is a great thing. It’s a facility that’s going to help people.”

Hussey pointed out if Alternative Therapies Group isn’t allowed to operate in town, another municipality will step in, taking the dispensary’s revenue with it.

“If people are going to make revenue off it, why not Saugus?” Hussey said. “It’s kind of a win-win for Saugus and for the people that need it.”

Josh Cooper, who owns the property where the proposed facility would be located, said he researched medical marijuana dispensaries in detail before coming to an agreement with Edwards.

“[My wife and I] met with Mr. Edwards on several occasions,” Cooper said, adding that his paving company will remain adjacent to property if Alternative Therapies Group moves in. “When I’m done with my business, my sons are going to be there. I would not put something there that would jeopardize my family or my reputation.”

Disputing claims

After community comment, Edwards disputed some claims made by opponents.

Alternative Therapies Group Executive Director Chris Edwards explained that, while it uses cash to operate, his company does have a bank account. He also said the marijuana strain names McGeney mentioned allow patients to research the different effects of the drugs.

“We don’t make up the strain names,” Edwards said. “I would love to do away with those street names, but when we take those away, patients can’t research what they’re ingesting.”

In regard to studies from California presented by Business Copy Associates, Edwards noted medical marijuana has been legal in the state for more than 20 years, adding that over that time period a similar number of “negative incidents” would likely occur at an average retail chain.

Edwards said Salem officials welcomed Alternative Therapies Group as a chance to establish itself as a leader in the burgeoning industry.

“There was one pivotal evening in the Salem City Council chamber when each member of the council individually stood up and expressed their excitement at the opportunity to demonstrate leadership in the region, showing surrounding communities that this was not a bad thing,” Edwards said. “This was a way to demonstrate compassion for people with serious illnesses. They saw it as an opportunity, not something to be hidden away.”

Selectmen weigh in

Before deciding to take no action on the letter of non-opposition request, selectmen differed in their statements about the proposed Alternative Therapies Group facility.

Selectman Jen D’Eon thanked Edwards for his patience in working with the town, adding that in her work as a healthcare professional she has seen the dangers of opioids, never marijuana.

“I want to let everyone here know tonight that I have two children, and I don’t ever want them to experiment with drugs,” D’Eon said. “I’ve also worked in a medical facility for 25 years and I’ve never seen an issue with marijuana or medical marijuana. I have, however, with opiates. I appreciate that you provide something for people’s pain that isn’t addictive and isn’t going to lead to an overdose and death. I thank you for that.”

Selectman Jeff Cicolini said he wouldn’t be comfortable signing a letter of non-opposition, the first step toward a special permit to operate, until the town receives legal advice on how to prevent Alternative Therapies Group from selling marijuana for recreational use if voters legalize recreational marijuana use and sale at the upcoming November election.

Though Edwards said his organization would sign an agreement prohibiting recreational sales, Cicolini expressed concern that the nonprofit could reorganize its corporate structure to evade restrictions.

“I’m not saying ‘no’ to a medical marijuana facility being in our town,” Cicolini said. “I’m saying that I don’t have enough proof and documentation in front of me to make a decision which could then result in the distribution of legalized marijuana. We want to do additional research.”

Selectman Mark Mitchell expressed concern that a medical marijuana dispensary could tarnish Saugus’s public image.

“I’m not saying I’m against medical marijuana, because I’m for it,” Mitchell said. “But shouldn’t this say something to us that we’re trying to put it on the outskirts of town? I want to raise the bar. I want to class the town up.”

Although Cicolini was primarily concerned that Alternative Therapies Group could switch from medical to recreational sales if the ballot initiative passes, he agreed with Mitchell that a medical marijuana dispensary could impact future economic investment in Saugus.

Cicolini specifically mentioned the board’s recent approval of a height variance for the Collins Avenue development, which would include upscale hotels, apartments, restaurants and retail.

“We just had such a fantastic decision that we approved the brand new Collins Ave. development,” Cicolini said. “That could have a detrimental effect. I’d rather learn by other communities’ mistakes or issues that they’re dealing with. Right now there is just too much uncertainty. I feel that I would be premature in determining that this is the right time.”

Town Manager Scott Crabtree informed the board several other medical marijuana dispensaries have expressed an interest opening in town, none of which have been explored.

Panetta said she would be comfortable voting not to sign the letter of non-opposition, adding that Saugus needs to further research any other medical marijuana dispensary proposals that were submitted.

“This whole idea is new,” Panetta said. “This is in its infancy.”

McGeney told the Advertiser that he felt selectmen were wise to further investigate the effects that a medical marijuana dispensary could have on Saugus, adding that Business Copy Associates is willing to assist the board with the investigative process.

“We’re very appreciative that the selectmen are going to take some time to evaluate all the ramifications of this decision,” McGeney said. “They are taking a very prudent approach.”

Edwards said the board’s decision to take no action has not deterred Alternative Therapies Group’s efforts to invest in Saugus, adding that issues with the proposed location and the medical marijuana overlay district should have been raised last year during the Town Meeting zoning process.

“In all fairness, individuals and businesses who felt that the location was inappropriate should have raised those concerns at that time,” Edwards said. “We should also not lose sight of the fact that the majority of the citizens of Saugus voted for the medical marijuana law in 2012. I am hopeful that the objections of a few individuals are not enough to block the will of the people.”