Mayor Fuller sent the following to the city council….

Dear Honorable City Councilors,

As you will recall, the City Council recently voted to exclude Garden Remedies Inc. from the current moratorium on adult-use marijuana establishments. Garden Remedies is moving forward with its application to the state Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) to expand its operation from retail sale of medicinal marijuana to include adult-use products at its Washington Street facility.

A host agreement, which is a legal document outlining community impact fees Garden Remedies will pay to the City and some conditions of operation, is required by the CCC as part of the application process.

I recently signed the Host Community Agreement with Garden Remedies in connection with its application. Provisions of the agreement will go into effect if Garden Remedies receives a license from the CCC and approval from the City Council to sell adult-use marijuana.

The key features of the Host Community Agreement include:

  • Garden Remedies will pay the City of Newton a community impact fee of 3 percent of its gross revenue from the sale of medicinal marijuana for five years retroactive to March 5, 2018.
  • Garden Remedies will also pay the City of Newton a community impact fee of  3 percent of its gross revenue from the sale of adult-use marijuana to the City of Newton for five years calculated from the first day of retail adult-use sales.
  • Garden Remedies will contribute $2,500 to public charities or private non-profits in the City of Newton during the first year of the agreement, escalating 5 percent annually.

In addition, Garden Remedies will begin paying a 3 percent tax on the sale of adult-use marijuana as of July 1, 2018, if it receives the state license.