Medical Pot Dispensary Company Makes Presentation to Sandwich

SANDWICH – Representatives of a medical marijuana dispensary company are seeking a letter of support from Sandwich selectmen to open a facility on Route 13..

An attorney and the company president of In Good Health, which operates a dispensary and growing facility in Brockton, provided an overview to the town recently on how their dispensaries operate, security procedures and their clientele.

“This is, I would say, somewhat of an advisory situation with the Sandwich Selectmen in that what we are looking for is a letter of non-opposition,” said John McCluskey, an attorney for In Good Health. “Not necessarily and endorsement, but a letter of non-opposition.”

McCluskey informed town officials that medical marijuana dispensaries cannot have bright neon lights to attract clientele.

“If you go by the Brockton facility, unless you knew what you were looking for you wouldn’t even know it was there,” McCluskey said.

Officials in Sandwich were invited to tour the company’s Brockton dispensary, which has already been visited by Police Chief Peter Wack.

The company officials also said the average age of customers to the facility is between 50 and 80 years of age, which is older than what most people expect.

“We have about 1,000 patients over the age of 80 who come every month and get rides from grand kids, sons and daughters and neighbors,” said David Noble, the president of In Good Health. “What this has provided to them is an alternative.”

The Brockton facility is open seven days a week and company officials say it is run like a pharmacy.

Patients are required to present a medical marijuana card prescribed by a physician and a second form of identification to gain entry to the facility.

“If you are a patient at the facility and walked in for a 10th or 15th time and didn’t have that second form of identification you wouldn’t be let through the door,” McCluskey said.

The Brockton facility has a security staff of retired Brockton detectives, who are armed.

“The question here is whether that would be necessary,” McCluskey said.

Customers have their identification scanned which will not allow them to go to directly to another medical marijuana facility.

The average time for a visit to In Good Health is about six minutes.

The facility has several cameras inside and outside and consumption is not allowed on the property.

In Good Health also sells several products that do not get patients high.

“That’s not what the goal is of what we do,” said Noble. “We sell time release pain patches for patients. We sell medication very low in THC that patients are able to get anti-inflammatory and pain relief from.”

Noble said the facility has had very little drain on any community resources in Brockton, including police and fire departments.

“Most of them don’t even know where we are unless they came for a tour,” Noble said.

Along with support from Selectmen, the company would still need state approval and a special permit from the town’s zoning board.

By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter

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