With key state approval in hand, Northampton marijuana dispensary eyes September opening

NORTHAMPTON — After receiving its final state approval April 3, the organization preparing to open a medical marijuana dispensary on Conz Street began growing marijuana last week, and expects to start selling it to patients around September.



Scott Zoback, spokesman for the state’s Department of Public Health, which authorizes the dispensaries, said New England Treatment Access Inc. (NETA) won its final certificate of registration April 3.



“That certificate of registration allows them to cultivate marijuana. It doesn’t allow them to sell yet,” said Zoback.



Dorothy Joyce, spokeswoman and consultant for NETA, said, “The cultivation process has begun and we expect to start serving qualifying patients this fall.”



She added, “We’re very much looking forward to opening in Northampton. We’ve enjoyed great relationships with the people of Northampton.”



Northampton resident Ezra Parzybok, who runs a business, The Cannabis Consultant, out of his Norwood Avenue home, says it’s about time that people who are suffering maladies ranging from cancer to headaches will have steady access to a safe product.



“It’s not a moment too soon,” said Parzybok.



The delays in the opening of facilities around the state have hurt people in need, he maintains.



“I think at the very least it’s prevented hundreds of people from getting access to quality medicinal cannabis that would be very helpful to them,” he said. “It’s been sad for me to interact with patients who have had a hard time accessing medicine in a safe way. I consider that to be tragic.”



He does not certify patients to have access to the medicine, but rather he refers them to physicians who do, and he works with people to figure out the proper dosage and method for ingesting that will work for them.



The Conz Street facility run by NETA will be a welcome addition for many of his patients because it will be retail space where they can purchase the medicine their doctors have prescribed.



“The people I’m working with are at their wit’s end in terms of their health,” said Parzybok.



He said he’s toured the Conz Street facility, which he said offers a welcoming atmosphere and a measure of privacy that some patients will appreciate.



There are six patient stations, in addition to two patient consultation rooms and a secure lobby in the facility at 118 Conz St., according to Joyce.



Once NETA has cultivated enough medical marijuana to begin selling it — a process that Joyce said will take about five months — the state will visit the Conz Street quarters again before clearing it to open for business.



“We do one more look to make sure they are retail-ready,” Zoback said. Of course, even after that there will be many more state visits, he noted.



“Our inspection process is ongoing, even once they are open,” said Zoback.



NETA, a nonprofit that also operates the cultivation facility in Franklin and is preparing to open another dispensary in Brookline, now employs 24 people, according to Joyce. She said it will gear up to hire about 15 additional staff for the Northampton facility over the next few months.



Meantime, plans will developed to hold community meetings to discuss the new business with the public.



“We will be rolling out a plan before opening to educate not only the patients but also the community within the next few months,” Joyce said. “It’s definitely something the team is thinking about and would love to do.”



In addition to the cultivation at the Franklin facility, medicinal treatments such as concentrates and edibles are made there, and the product is tested, packed, labeled and prepared for delivery, according to Joyce.



She said once the Conz Street facility is running, it will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.



NETA was granted a certificate of occupancy by Northampton Building Inspector Louis Hasbrouck on Dec. 3, after renovations on the building that had served for a long time as the office suite for a group medical practice.



“The only thing they need now is marijuana,” said Hasbrouck.



He said the space was renovated in a way that makes it look a little like an art gallery.



“It’s sort of fancy — they did nice carpentry on the counters,” said Hasbrouck. “It’s very much an upscale retail facility.”



Parzybok noted that patients certified to use medicinal marijuana are allowed to grow their own, or work with a certified caregiver who has a permit to grow it on their behalf, but those options are not always available.



“I really look forward to NETA being opened,” he said.



He also believes that there is a pent-up demand for the product that will take time to satisfy.



“I really think it will be years before everyone who could benefit from medical marijuana has proper access,” said Parzybok.



Laurie Loisel can be reached at lloisel@gazettenet.com.





