For parents teaching their children to garden, it is hard to compete with the apps on their tablets and phones, such as “Farmville” and “Grow A Garden,” that grow plants and communities seemingly overnight.
The problem is that recreational sales account for the vast majority of revenue for stores, and since medical marijuana is not taxed, revenues to the state and the municipalities that host the stores have dried up during the shutdown.
Now it looks like the door is opening for sports betting at upstate casinos. When all else fails to bring economic vitality to upstate, bring on the betting.
When selectboard Chair Steve Bannon opened the floor to comments from the audience, most seemed to agree that, in addition to placing restrictions on the stores, the larger question remains about what kind of image the tourism-minded town wants to project.
Proposals for how to use the cannabis revenue windfall will be discussed by the selectboard and the finance committee in the upcoming deliberations for next year's budget, with voters having the final say on how to spend free cash at the annual town meeting in May.
I have always thanked New York Gov. Cuomo for filling Great Barrington’s coffers. It didn’t seem to lower my tax bill, but who pays attention to those things?
Great Barrington, Eastham, Leicester, Newton, Northampton, and Uxbridge have received subpoenas from the office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling seeking information about so-called host community agreements.
Nova Farms President Ross said the company "goal has always been ... to comply with all Mass CCC regulations" and Nova has "worked hand-in-hand with the Mass CCC since our suspensions to make sure that no stone has been left unturned."
The two payments, totaling nearly $140,000 for the first three months of business, "represent a significant sum to the town, which has an annual operating budget of just $25 million," according to Canna provisions.
At Monday's selectboard meeting, member Kate Burke noted that the money cannot be spent yet because it was not budgeted for. The disposition of the funds will be discussed during budget deliberations this fall.
New zoning bylaws would prevent some cannabis retailers from opening merely by restricting the number of available locations. On the other hand, a policy from the selectboard placing a numerical limit would clearly prevent more retailers from opening.
The Edge recently sat down with Hinds in his Pittsfield office to discuss his proudest accomplishments, how to align workforce development needs with the education system, and his hopes and concerns about the rollout of recreational marijuana in the state, among other things.
Nova Farms in Sheffield says it will use sustainable methods to minimize its carbon footprint and will also be home to livestock such as Scottish Highland cattle and an apple orchard.
The more I saw of the emerging fight with the Legislature, the more I thought that this was very-clever Andrew saying that he was for legalization but really being the old middle-of-the-road-Democrat Andrew who was actually opposed.
‘All recreational users should be aware of potential undesired acute cannabinoid effects,' her fancy way of saying that what can sometimes happen when you’re high on pot might be a bummer. And the effects are a function of a bunch of factors—what kind of cannabis, how often you use, who the user is and how much they smoke.”
