Marijuana shop owner wants ‘fair shot’ to expand in Wells as town looks to cap businesses

WELLS, Maine — Mark Quinn knows he is the fourth applicant seeking to open a local medical marijuana dispensary in Wells at a time when the town is attempting to cap the number of such businesses at three.

Quinn also knows that the Wells Planning Board approved a third dispensary during its meeting on April 17 – which means he’ll be out of luck if voters agree to the cap at the polls during the annual Town Meeting in June.

But Quinn, the owner of Marks Organix in Kittery, has a plan.

“Until they vote on that, we’re just going to keep moving forward and hope for the best,” Quinn said during a phone interview.

Quinn is aiming to open his dispensary on the first floor of a two-story structure at 655 Post Road, on property owned by Strada Postale, LLC. As proposed, Quinn’s dispensary would be 1,175 square feet and would provide both retail and storage spaces. There are other business structures on the 1.88-acre site.

Planning Board members conducted a site walk at the property on April 15, with Town Engineer Mike Livingston, Quinn, and Quinn’s agent, engineer Kenneth Wood, in attendance.

Previous story: Hazy Hill Farm marijuana dispensary gets OK in Wells as cannabis cap heads to town ballot

The Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing for Quinn’s proposal during its upcoming meeting at the Wells Town Hall on May 1.

Currently, Curaleaf is the only medical marijuana dispensary in Wells. Two more, however, are on the way. Last month, the Planning Board approved Hazy Hill Farm to open a dispensary at 1616 Post Road - something it plans to do this summer. On April 17, the Planning Board gave the green light to Bulrush, LLC, so that it can open a dispensary at the now-vacant plaza at 279 Post Road.

Quinn, who lives in York and owns land in Wells, said he does not see the difference between Wells having three dispensaries or having four, especially if they are all well spaced-out along Post Road.

“It can only bring value to the town,” he said. “In my opinion, I’m hoping they’ll see the effort I’m putting in. I’m hoping they can see the value we’d bring to the town.”

Wells store would be third location for Marks Organix

Quinn opened Marks Organix seven years ago. He has two cultivation facilities in York and a retail store in Kittery. Earlier this month, Quinn told the Planning Board his staff members are well-educated and experienced in retail and cultivation and that his business has won awards. He said his Kittery store also has been featured on “High Design,” a show on HGTV. As well, Quinn said, his business follows organic-soil practices.

“We have a well-organized online ordering system,” Quinn added. “If people want to order online, they don’t have to come to the parking lot and sit there for 30 minutes and wait for their order to get ready. They can come, pick up, and go. I feel like that will help with the traffic.”

Quinn said he appreciates that the Planning Board voted to accept his application. He said he hopes the town will appreciate that he is a successful small business owner and a local family man, and not a company with “deep pockets” and a multi-state presence.

“I think we deserve a fair shot,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Marijuana shop seeks to open in Wells, ME as town considers cap