A proposal for medical marijuana dispensary at 1152 Beacon Street (former site of the South Pacific restaurant) drew considerable opposition from neighbors at a Newton Highlands Area Council meeting last night, according to these very meticulous meeting minutes.
At around 9:00 pm, at the end of the public discussion about this proposal, the community members who were present were asked if they supported the proposal. Only 2 people were supportive, everyone else (about 30 people) were not supportive. One person was undecided and needed further information.
It’s worth reading the full play by play but here’s some excerpts:
“… it is not “medicine”. It’s dope. It’s a drug.”
“Newton already has one dispensary. Not a big city. One is enough, not too far apart.”
“Cold Spring Park has enough marijuana smoke there. Makes my blood pressure high. It is ridiculous.”
“I know of kids that are addicted to it by their behavior. … We will have an epidemic. “
“The location is bad. It is near schools, next to a park where kids are playing sports. People will go back to the park with the marijuana. Lots of people will wait for a ride. It is naïve to think that everyone will take the stuff and go home. “
“How do we protect our kids, people driving, cars, pick up and drop off?”
Sheer ignorance! There’s been a liquor store in that plaza for years, and these neighbors are upset about a MEDICAL marijuana dispensary?
Just wait until the hearings for recreational licenses start (whenever that will be). The Fear & Panic crowd is probably just warming up.
Relax neighbors, nothing to see here. It’s just another ploy by a small group of politically-connected individuals and corporations trying to game the system ahead of everyone else in order to line their pockets for a few years, before moving onto the next project that exploits special-interest regulation for profit – albeit under the guise of “nonprofits” that just so happen to pay their management 7-figure salaries. We’ve been here before. See also: charter schools.
Let’s see, who’s behind 1152 Beacon Street? “New England Cannabis,” publicly represented by Ron Lipof?
This is not hysteria. Concerns are legitimate. There are many unknowns with respect to efficacy of marijuana for medicinal purposes, in large part due to federal labeling as schedule 1 controlled substance has prevented any large randomized trials. But whatever the reason the fact remains there is currently NO good evidence for superiority of marijuana (in terms of efficacy and safety) compared to currently available treatments, for ANY medical condition. So use for medical purposes remains extremely controversial, and may present unknown long-term risks. (Unknown since no long-term data, only anecdotal experience). It MAY have a role for medical conditions, but like with any drug would be nice to have the data to fully understand potential risks vs. benefits. And there are definitely real long-term risks for marijuana on the developing brains of adolescents and young adults. No matter what security measures the clinic has in place, increased access and availability in community WILL find its way to this vulnerable population of our youth and that concerns me greatly.
But all that is besides the point. The voter’s have spoken and marijuana is here, so let’s try to do this smartly. There is huge amounts of money involved so easy for process to become corrupted by financial motives. But I would be against use of S.Pacific for this type of business. It is such a visible and prominent location. Those who want to obtain product from the dispensary will find it no matter where it is. You could put the dispensary in the basement of a building on Wells Ave and it would do great business. Why put it in such a high profile location? Even the strip mall next door to S.Pacific seems preferable, more discrete. But this location is so close to several schools. A 500 feet requirement from a school is ridiculously low. Is that set by state or city? A quarter mile (1320 feet) seems more reasonable distance. I am very disappointed the city allowed this area to be zoned for a dispensary. And very concerned that two city councilors (Cheryl Lapin and Rick Lipof) are siblings to the business advisor (Ron Lipof) for the dispensary, even if they are not able to vote on this specific measure. Are they excluded from all matters having to do with zoning marijuana in the city?
This all begs the question as to why the S.Pacific property has sat empty for so long? I presume the rent is too high for a restaurant but that the dispensary can afford it? El Basha Grille just opened in a corner of the strip mall with Dumpling House. They would have been great in this location. A restaurant would be far preferable to a dispensary. I hope they find a different location for dispensary!
I don’t know any of the circumstances with this property but generally speaking, when a property is empty that does not necessarily mean there’s is something wrong with it, or even that the land lord is asking too much. For one example, some times a prior tenant has left a property before its lease expires. So even though the property is vacant the owner is still collecting rent and may not be in an rush to lease it.
It does however seem presumptuous when others believe they know what’s best for someone else’s business. I generally assume that the prospective proprietors who are investing their money and time into this venture selected this location because it fits their business model.
And BTW, I think Bali Ha’i would be a great name for a marijuana dispensary at the former South Pacific.
As I sated at the meeting last night, Councilor Lappin and I can not and will not vote on this petition from Ron Lipof. We are recusing ourselves from this, which is essentially two no votes. We have no participation or financial gain with regards to this petition.
Personally (as I told my councilor last night) this seems like an excellent use of this property. Its been empty for quite a while.
@Greg: Thanks for your comments. I hope I didn’t come across as presuming to know what was best for someone else’s business. I was simply trying to articulate what I personally think is best for my neighborhood. And I personally don’t like the idea of a marijuana dispensary being front and center at Four Corners. It is my suspicion that a marijuana dispensary will do great business no matter where it is located. I am sure they will do great business at S. Pacific site, but I also think they will equally great business if they were in a less visible location.
@Rick: Thanks for your comments as well. But curious if your recusal is for this one petition only, or if you are recusing from all marijuana related business that will come before the council given the potential conflicts of interest. Thanks.
@NewtonNewbie– Do you get your medications from a basement on Wells Ave as you suggested medical marijuana patients should do? Your lack of empathy is astounding!
@NewtonNebie- You raise an excellent question. I have thought about this and am presently in the process of consulting with the State’s Ethics Commission to ensure that I am conducting myself appropriately within my roll as City Councilor.
More hysteria. It’s a perfect location.
The NHNAC is strictly a NIMBY group, unless they are supporting large scale developments like Avalon Bay on Needham St. There is a medical need for the product and for the service. My eye doctor is in the garden remedies building and in all the times I have been over there I’ve never witnessed someone coming or going from the building. It’s a low key discrete operation as I’m sure the new business would be. You would have to know it was there to even know what it is.
Why is a location that is
closer to Newton Center and Waban under the purview of the Newton Highlands Area Council? South Pacific is near Cold Springs Park which is Waban. Why should anyone care what they think? Who made these folks judge and jury?
As I’ve said before, the folks at city hall need to draw fixed ward and precinct boundaries so that these area councils will be forced to keep their noses in their own business.
@Paul: If you read the minutes, you’d know that the area councilors made it clear that they have no jurisdiction on this. They were just providing information and a forum for discussion.
I believe our area councils are doing a service when they bring residents together with proponents. And I’m grateful to the Newton Highlands council for providing such detailed notes. In this era of diminished media, we might not have any other report about this.
@Paul: FYI…for more than 30 years the Newton Highlands Area Council catchment area has included the Four Corners strip mall where South Pacific was formerly located. It is definitely within their district. Their noses deserve to be there…although I hope there will be nothing for them to smell!
Concern about the establishment of a new marijuana store is not a “fear and panic crowd”. The cannabis campaign did not make clear to voters just how many stores were going to be coming, and how quickly. Newton will be required by the state to host at least seven recreational marijuana establishments, for example. https://www.facebook.com/notes/jake-auchincloss/guns-and-weed-in-newton/1282024418608954/
This was my concern during the cannabis campaign – not about legalizing marijuana, which I support, but about the effect of marijuana’s retail footprint on the sense of place within our villages. I would be interested to see, once the majority of Newton’s villages have recreational marijuana stores, whether Newton still supports the measure 55%-45%.
I find it very frustrating that people are conflating medical marijuana businesses with recreational use businesses (which I support). The South Pacific location is for medical use where a prescription is required. It isn’t a damn Meth Clinic. The NYPBY crowd is a bit out of control. Children are no more likely to walk into a liquor store and buy a pint than they are to walk into a medical dispensary and buy an ounce
@Sallie-
The NHNAC has always pushed the boundaries of what constitutes their
service area. Areas firmly in Waban, Newton Center, Upper Falls and Ward 8 Dedham St etc are nowhere near the Highlands but are included in their “service areas”. How and why is this possible? Maybe the next elections for officers of the NHNAC should include resident/candidates of their “service areas” outside of Newton Highlands.
Greg-
While I agree that it is important to bring both parties to the table in any discussion, the NHNAC hardly operates as a just a forum for discussions and detailed notes.
They have for many years pursued their own agenda and been deeply involved in the promoting or scuttling of projects big and small based on what THEY feel Newton needs or wants which is not always in harmony with what other residents want. Their recent grasp at a restrictive Local Historic District designation is but one of many examples. Again, as I have said many many times before Avalon Bay was their baby too. Thanks Serg!
@Rick – Thanks so much for your transparency on this and for getting input from Ethics Commission. Your work is much appreciated!
@Mike – Sorry if I came across as not empathetic. I don’t mean to suggest that patients who go to a dispensary should have to go to a far off basement location. I only used that as an example of what I imagined the opposite of a prime location on Beacon Street in Four Corners to be. The point I was trying to make was that I don’t believe the dispensary will be lacking for business, no matter where it goes. It could be in the basement of Wells Ave and still do well.
In any case, I didn’t mean to sound callous and apologize if it seemed that way. But your analogy to prescription medications is way off, and displays your lack of understanding of “medical marijuana.” A prescription medication is a chemical that has been approved for treatment of a condition because it has been demonstrated safe and effective for that condition. There is a scientific body of literature that can advise how effective it is, what short term and long-term side effects might be, and therapeutic dosing range.
Compare this to marijuana, which is a chemical for which there is only anecdotal evidence that it is safe and helpful for various conditions, but lacks any randomized controlled trials to conclusively prove safety, efficacy, possible side effects, etc… It is available now only because voters approved it, not because the science supports it.
I am not saying marijuana is not effective for treatment of sundry medical problems. It may be.
It also may not be. Until there are randomized controlled trials about this no one knows. And until the government removes it from being a schedule 1 substance (which I would support), those trials won’t be conducted. So Mike, I think a better analogy would be to ask if I should get my bottle of wine from a basement location. And if there were only 8 places in town to get that bottle of wine, I probably would be fine going to some basement location for it.
Just because it is natural does not make it safe (think lead or arsenic). Just because people say it is helpful does not make it so (think snake oil or noni juice). I’m all for live and let live, and if people want to smoke who am I to stop them? They can drink too if that makes them feel better. I support recreational marijuana for adults. I have no problem with a dispensary at the former Green Tea restaurant on route 9. But I think objecting to a dispensary a 1/2 mile from two different elementary schools is perfectly reasonable. (@Claire: It is not my worry that a child will stumble in and walk out with a blunt, but rather I worry about the message having it in such a prominent location will give our children.) And I also worry about how it may change the character of the Four Corners neighborhood as Jake Auchincloss mentioned.
Newbie, you do remember that recreational marijuana has been approved by voters, right? Pretty soon, kids will be walking by retail shops, just like they walk by the neighborhood packie. Adults can drink at home, and now adults can legally smoke in their homes, and I bet some of those adults have kids. But the idea that a medical marijuana clinic would increase access and availability for teens is ludicrous. If I wanted to find some marijuana in Newton tonight (which I don’t) I would have absolutely no idea where to get it. But most high school students would.
Also, some of your statements about medical marijuana are not just wrong, but clueless. There have been many studies that have shown the effectiveness of marijuana in reducing pain and other symptoms (and the need for opiates) and improving quality of life. And many, many people have experienced it themselves or watched it bring relief to a family member or friend, and that’s why voters approved it. Your personal views on alcohol and marijuana are truly irrelevant.
@Tricia – Thanks for your feedback. I believe the comments section on a blog like this are exactly to share personal views on a topic. In that regard I think my personal views are highly relevant to this posting, as are yours, and I find your remarks personally offensive and factually inaccurate.
And if you can provide me with a single high quality randomized controlled trial that has shown marijuana to be effective in reducing pain, or any other endpoint, I would be interested to see it. I have looked and have never found such a study to exist.
A recent meta-analysis (The Effects of Cannabis Among Adults With Chronic Pain and an Overview of General Harms: A Systematic Review. Nugent SM, Morasco BJ, O’Neil ME, Freeman M, Low A, Kondo K, Elven C, Zakher B, Motu’apuaka M, Paynter R, Kansagara D
Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(5):319.) concluded: “Limited evidence suggests that cannabis may alleviate neuropathic pain in some patients, but insufficient evidence exists for other types of chronic pain. Among general populations, limited evidence suggests that cannabis is associated with an increased risk for adverse mental health effects.”
Of course this is just a meta-analysis, so if you put low quality studies in you get low quality conclusions out. But please if my statements are clueless I would be happy if you could clue me in and share the wealth of information from the “many studies” to which you refer. You don’t have to provide many. I would be happy to see just one randomized controlled trial with a statistically significant conclusion showing medicinal benefits of marijuana.
@NewtonNewbie– I’m not going backwards with you. The right to use medical cannabis was decided at the ballot box…
My wife lived three and a half years with a Grade 4 Glioblastoma brain tumor, precisely because cannabis enabled her to tolerate the side effects of chemotherapy. I’ve heard all the nonsense from the anti cannabis side. To put it nicely, when it comes to cannabis you don’t know what the heck you’re talking about…
I don’t mean to be dismissive of your concerns as a parent. But the far greater danger to anyone’s children comes from the continued unregulated sale of marijuana, not from medical dispensaries or adult use cannabis stores.
@NewtonNewbie – The reason you aren’t finding studies is that the Federal government has made it next to impossible to do them. They don’t want to fund the research and they don’t want to give an exemption to allow researchers to legally access marijuana to do studies.
I’m a medical researcher. If a study doesn’t show that one medication is better than another, it doesn’t mean there’s no need for it. There will always be some people for whom the first med doesn’t work or has intolerable side effects, but who find the second med tolerable and effective. I know that first hand – my son and I both take medication for a condition where he can only tolerate one med in the needed class and only one (different) med in that class works for me. One size doesn’t fit all.
Better than another bank….
@Tricia-
Totally agree with you.
You make some very points
@Tricia-
Very good points.
According to the minutes, an individual surveyed neighborhood residents about this project. I live about three-quarters of a mile from this location and, while I consider Four Corners to be in my neighborhood, no one made any attempt to ask us what we thought about medical marijuana dispensary at this location. Who was included in the survey? Did the survey ask whether the respondents had ever had a close relative who would/could have benefitted from medical marijuana?
Jake-How many pharmacies that carry highly addictive opioids are there in Newton? Off the top of my head, I count seven. How many liquor stores do we have in Newton? Again, without giving it much thought, I count seven. We walk by these establishments every day and it never crosses our minds that they are a danger to society or change the sense of place in a village.
I acknowledge that change is hard but it’s time to move forward and follow the law on this one.
@Mike (and others): I don’t want to go backwards either. As I think all my comments above make clear, I understand marijuana is here to stay. And my personal opinion on it is more complex than you seem to understand. I don’t necessarily think it is a bad thing. I see many benefits from legalization, including improved oversight of the product and revenue from taxation. I am in favor of recreational marijuana. And I think marijuana holds great promise as a treatment for various conditions. I understand it provided relief to your wife to endure chemotherapy. People have found it helpful for that, as well as pain, glaucoma, and other conditions.
But you simply can’t make scientific or medical recommendations for an agent without a scientific body of literature to support it. History is riddled with the problems of relying on anecdotal “It worked for me!” evidence for medical treatments. I am not dismissing your personal experience. I have no doubt your wife found it helpful. But patients deserve to be informed about risks and benefits of any treatment to help them decide if it is right for them, and that information does not yet exist for marijuana as it does for other medications.
Hypothetically, if I had an agent that could relieve nausea/vomiting but may increase future risk of dementia by 30%, would that important for a patient to know before using it? And marijuana is not a single drug but composed of many bioactive substances. Is it the THC providing nausea relief? Is it the CBD? When you go into a dispensary there are many options and right now patients are just relying on the clerk and/or internet for advice.
My only point is we need sound studies before we can equate marijuana with medications, as you did in your initial response. And as I said in previous comments, and as Meredith reiterated, until the government changes the classification of marijuana (which I would strongly favor), those studies won’t be forthcoming. (Although apparently Tricia has “many studies” she has reviewed and for which I am waiting information about.)
I don’t want to re-litigate the marijuana debate. I just wanted to express my personal displeasure with having any dispensary in that particular location, which is what I thought this comment section was for. Proponents were saying it was no different than putting a pharmacy there, and I wanted to bring highlight some of the uncertainties with respect to use of marijuana as medicine.
This distinction between medicinal and recreational seems to be an important distinction for proponents of this project. It sounds like the landlord even put this stipulation in the lease, although obviously that could be changed. Claire made this distinction above as well. I am curious if all of you in support of this project would also support it at this location if it were a recreational dispensary? If not, why not?
There’s a store about three doors away from this location that sells recreational alcohol. I just don’t see the difference.
I want marijuana off the streets to the extent possible and well regulated.
@Jane: Perhaps you walk by “these establishments” every day without it crossing your mind that they are a danger to society, but don’t assume that everyone walking by them shares the same perspective. Growing up in the public housing behind Four Corners, I lost too many family members to alcohol and drug abuse. Over the past years, I’ve lost more to opioids. I can assure you that as a kid, I viewed the stores that were pushing my family members drugs and alcohol as a legitimate danger. In fact, all these years later, I vividly recall how terrible it felt every time I walked by these stores on my way home from Zervas, Oak Hill, Newton South, and Newton North, knowing that my mom was there earlier in the day purchasing what would cause severe turbulence and violence later in the day. In this context, Jake raises a fair and reasonable point, and I appreciate that he is aware enough not to speak in generalities.
Newbie, we both know that as Meredith pointed out above, large US-based studies are not happening because of the legal issues. But there have been some smaller ones, both in the US and elsewhere – here’s one below. However, the bottom line is that medical marijuana is now legal in MA, and the site in question is in a location that is approved for it in Newton. Sure, you can share your personal views on this location just like the rest of us are doing. But your personal opinion on the efficacy of medical marijuana is irrelevant to the discussion, because that ship has sailed. Medical marijuana is already here. And by 2019, recreational will be here too – if you want medical facilities in far-off basements, where do you want the recreational shops?
Cannabidiol (THC:CBD) extract relieved pain in patients with advanced cancer
Jeremy R. Johnson, MBChB, former Medical Director at the Shropshire and Mid Wales Severn Hospice, et. al, wrote the following in a Nov. 6 2009 article titled “Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study of the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of THC:CBD Extract and THC Extract in Patients with Intractable Cancer-Related Pain,” published on the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management website:
“The primary analysis of change from baseline in mean pain Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score was statistically significantly in favor of THC:CBD compared with placebo…
Conclusion
This study shows that THC:CBD extract is efficacious for relief of pain in patients with advanced cancer pain not fully relieved by strong opioids.”
@Tricia: Thanks for the reference. First, I’m struck by how short this study was, only two weeks long. Looking at that study you will see that while they say the group getting combined THC/CBD had lower pain scores than placebo, (unlike THC alone which was not shown to be of benefit over placebo), there was no difference among groups with respect to opiod use. That is to say, those taking the marijuana still needed the same amount of opioids for pain control as those taking placebo.
The authors of the study write (and shown in Table 3) “Most of the NRS diary symptom scores and investigator-assessed pain control showed no significant treatment differences between the three groups.” 57% of patients getting THC/CBD had no significant improvement in pain reduction. And curiously, the rate of nausea and vomiting was significantly HIGHER in the group getting marijuana than in that getting placebo. This is surprising since it is often used for treatment of chemo related nausea and vomiting.
In short, this type of study is a step in the right direction, but the short duration and small patient population make it unclear how generalizable the findings would be. I would not say this constitutes strong evidence of benefit.
And once again I never said I wanted dispensaries in far off basements, so please stop misstating my position. As above, I simply used that example to make the point a dispensary will do great business no matter where it is located.
To answer your question: I am happy to have the recreational dispensaries in the same location as the medical dispensaries. I see no difference between them. I don’t want either to be so close to elementary schools on Beacon Street Four Corners. Would have no problem with either being in an area with less pedestrian foot traffic, such as the Green Tea restaurant location at Eliot St/Route 9 for example.
@Jane, perhaps you missed the part in the Draft minutes that an individual at the meeting asked people attending the meeting for their opinions. The purpose of the meeting was to have a session for the dispensary operators to let the public know of the plan and to take questions. I believe 175 leaflets were dropped off to residents in close proximity to four corners. Of course the focus was on the residents in the NHNAC service area so you may be seeing something from the WAC. While many questions were asked and generally order was maintained during the meeting, several people expressed their concerns and opinions. The operators have not yet filed for their special permit which will include public hearings starting in Land Use. The Area Council’s involvement will be in informing residents of upcoming meetings on the topic.
Newton Newbie, we’re not hear to adjudicate the efficacy of marijuana; that ship sailed in MA and many other states. We’re here to discuss a suitable location. I think four corners is as good a place as any to have a medical marijuana dispensary. BTW, patients talk to their doctors about using marijuana just like they do with other medications used off label and otherwise -going over side effects, possible results and signs to watch for. Not the clerk at the dispensary.
Newtonville has a medical dispensary just down the street from the high school and within walking distance to Cabot. It’s not conspicuous even though it’s in Newtonville Center. It just looks like any other building. There have been no incidents. Most people don’t even know it’s there. Why is that a good location if four corners is not?
After it’s there, you’ll forget all about it – unless you develop a condition that your doctor advises MJ would help.
Greg says:
And yet everything is wrong with this property. It’s a strip mall. It’s an eyesore. It’s pedestrian-unfriendly along what’s now a school route, and it poorly utilizes the land and parking. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the property has sat empty. I wish the city would put whatever incentives in place necessary to revitalize this property, regardless of who the tenant is.
“Panicked”…thanks for the clickbait headline. I think many people were surprised, taken aback to hear about these plans and shared their feelings to say panicked seems a bit extreme.
This is proposed as a medical marijuana facility but it doesn’t take much to realize that it could change into a recreational facility which to me is a whole different ball game. Yes there is something in their lease and they are saying that is not their intent now however you can’t tell me the landlord wouldn’t renegotiate this if they were going to receive an increased rent or felt that their tenant would be more likely to have the ability to pay their rent with the increased income. Yes legalized marijuana was approved by the voters but that was to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol….the devil is in the details. Seven or eight dispensaries to me sounds like a lot to me. I would also think that an existing medicinal dispensary would have a better shot of adding recreational sales to their existing businesses.
I feel for those whose relatives have experienced chronic illnesses and do not have a problem with medicinal marijuana. However as Newton Newbie said the patients will travel to wherever the business is located so lets consider the impact especially since there are two elementary schools nearby along with many older kids who also pass through this corridor. According to the founder the majority of their patients will be 70-80- year old from surrounding suburbs so they will be traveling to Newton so why not be thoughtful about the placement of this business.
Tom-You make my point. Pharmacies and liquor stores are a trigger for a certain segment of the population in Newton, but no one on this thread is expressing concerns about these establishments or restricting where they are located.
Groot – Thanks for the information. As is often the case, a group representing one side of an issue gets the ball rolling at the beginning of a discussion. I suspect we’ll be hearing a more diverse set of opinions at future meetings.
@Newton Highlands Mom– Just curious… Do you perceive the proposed medical marijuana dispensary in 4-corners to be more or less of an issue than the liquor store that’s been in that plaza for years?
All of those against marijuana dispensaries opening in your neighborhood – order some Chinese food tonight. Green Tea, South Pacific, …, next stop for every closed Asian restaurant seems to be a pot dispensary.
@Newton Highlands Mom – “Yes legalized marijuana was approved by the voters but that was to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol” – As Mike Striar pointed out there is already a package store in that area so opening a dispensary there would seem to be in keeping with that.
@Tom – I sympathize completely. My upper middle-class family was also ravaged by alcohol.
My view is that any location where we’d tolerate a liquor store is no worse a location for a marijuana dispensary. Kids who want alcohol or marijuana get them (as was true when I was a kid in the 60s/70s). I’d rather see marijuana sold legally, hopefully providing some quality/purity control over the product.
I completely agree with Newton Newbie ‘s arguments here.
Sadly the federal government has not done its work.
There is a Walgreens drug store just down the street where legal prescriptions for medically corrective products can be filled, and marijuana , in a studied form, approved nationally by the federal government, should be ‘dispensed’, with said prescription, there.
“But whatever the reason the fact remains there is currently NO good evidence for superiority of marijuana (in terms of efficacy and safety) compared to currently available treatments, for ANY medical condition.”
@Newton Newbie, your statement was not a fact. It is your belief and it is incorrect. You can find a US NIH patent and NIH research on cannabis, as well as a lot of international research studies. Israel and Netherlands are hot spots of research. There are many studies available — just not from the US FDA.
I’ll give you a different point of view. I suffer from from a chronic condition, for which the traditional medical response is taking steroids for the rest of my life. Having read up on the side effects of these steroids and their decreasing effectiveness over time, that’s not an acceptable answer to me. My symptoms are mild enough that I just suffered through episodes. It makes my life miserable. I’ve been living with this medical condition for about 5 years now, and I will take it to the grave.
I tripped over cannabis as medicine totally by accident after recreational was legalized, when I consumed a small amount of the stuff last year. I was in total shock — instant relief, and an improvement of my condition for days afterwards. I then did my research, and as I understand it, my chronic condition is caused by an endocannabinoid deficiency, which cannabis moderates. Stigma aside, I now consume a small amount of cannabis maybe once or twice a month before bedtime on a weekend. It’s no more intoxicating than drinking a glass of wine. Compared to the alternatives (daily steroids, possible surgery) it is safe and effective. My chronic disease is in remission.
So @Newton Newbie, I pray that you never have to experience what I have been through. It might feel superior to be on such a very high horse, but anyone can be toppled to the ground.
@Dulles – I am glad to hear that cannabis therapy has provided relief from your symptoms and am glad it has become more accessible and well regulated to help alleviate people’s suffering. However I stand by all my statements and disagree they are incorrect, as you allege.
Steroids are terrible medications, and if you find an alternative that provides symptom relief and allows you to avoid them, that is wonderful. But it is absolutely a fact (and not just my belief) that we do not yet have a complete understanding of the potential efficacy and long-term safety of marijuana for treatment of these medical conditions. We know the long-term risks associated with steroids. We cannot say the same about marijuana.
You cite the NIH as a source of supporting research, but their comprehensive overview of the subject (published January 2017) concludes “Despite increased cannabis use and a changing state-level policy landscape, conclusive evidence regarding the short- and long-term health effects— both harms and benefits—of cannabis use REMAINS ELUSIVE.” (Emphasis mine.)
You cite international research but even looking around the world there is not yet high quality evidence demonstrating benefit. Is it worth trying? Maybe. Does it seem to help people? Definitely. Is it safe? Maybe. Do we have good evidence it is more effective than other more established treatments? Not yet.
You did research (I presume online?) and concluded your symptoms are due to endocannabinoid deficiency. I am fully aware our current medical knowledge is in its infancy, there is much that we still don’t understand. Endocannabinoid deficiency has been proposed to be a common problem for a myriad of conditions, such as migraines or irritable bowel system. However clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD) is not yet recognized as a medical condition since there is just no good evidence for it. Might there be evidence for it in the future as research continues and our knowledge base increases? Maybe. I’m just saying it is not yet scientifically demonstrated to play a primary role in any condition.
You write that you pray I never have to experience what you have been through. It is a bit presumptuous of you to assume I do not suffer from any chronic medical problems. I do not begrudge you from using marijuana if it makes you feel better. I am not on any high horse as you say, but am simply trying to be scientific and objective about the medical use of this product.
Newton Newbie – This is the law. You may not like the law and you may not like that it’s perfectly legal to open a medical marijuana dispensary at this location, but that’s another issue.
Drinking too much Scotch will seriously harm one’s health – we all know that. However, it’s not within my right to say that others can’t have access to this legal substance, or for a store in my neighborhood to sell it.
Great discussion.
I want to preface my comments by saying that I am extremely pro legalizing marijuana. I’ve experimented with it, it’s less harmful than alcohol (I promise I didn’t inhale))))).
That being said, I think there’s a lot of good and bad in this proposal. While I share the concerns of many of the location being near a park and schools, etc. I think the location is awesome because it happens to be close to doctors building on the corner of Walnut and Beacon, the doctors building near the park and the NWH just down the street. Overall, despite the negatives, I love the location for the dispensary.
I think it’s unrealistic to think that people will walk to the dispensary, though. It would be nice if the owners of the proposal include something that will lessen the burden of traffic and parking in the area. I don’t know what, but they can come up with something.
I am concerned about the location near the schools, but if you look at Newton as a whole…any location is near schools. To alleviate any concern, maybe the city can put someone on detail in the area for the first year just to alleviate the neighbors concerns.
I think the neighbors have a right to be concerned. I don’t share their concern, but I don’t live there.
@Dulles. You’re response was one of the most personal, powerful and heartfelt testimonies about any issue I’ve seen posted on this blog.
Just found my way here from a fear-mongering flyer left in my mailbox. Anybody know where I can go to formally support this permitting? I’d love to go to the meeting but I’m a parent of young kids with a demanding job so it’s not realistic for me to attend village meetings for stuff like this.
I just don’t get how you get fired up about even a recreational store located in that center when you’ve got the shadiest liquor store in town located two doors down. Besides, you’re replacing South Pacific, which probably lead to more DUIs than any other bar/restaurant in town.