Marlborough cannabis dispensary wants longer hours. City seeks uniform solution
MARLBOROUGH — Cannabis dispensaries in the city will soon likely be permitted to remain open later in the day, with hours of operation being extended until up to 10 p.m.
Last week, the City Council’s Urban Affairs Committee discussed making a uniform extension that would allow all licensed dispensaries in the city to remain open up to two hours later than what they are currently allowed to run.
During the meeting, attorney Brian Falk was representing Vedi Naturals, which operates Kosa Dispensary at 505 Boston Post Road West (Route 20). Falk proposed that the city permit the dispensary to change the permissible hours of operation from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, to running 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
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“The hours are very close to what (another Route 20 dispensary) Garden Remedies' extended hours were set to a little over a year ago, and comparable to a number of retail alcohol package stores in the city,” Falk said.
Falk also said that the owners of Veidi Naturals have studied their customer habits and indicated they may not even use the extended hours.
“They’ve thought this through and looked at what customer preferences were and what traffic is like, and they felt that these hours are more than sufficient — they may not even use all of them,” Falk said.
City Councilor Sean Navin said Garden Remedies, which got a similar extension for its hours of operation last year, has slightly different permissible hours, going from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Navin said he would like dispensary hours to be uniform in the city going forward.
More: Garden Remedies try to assure neighbors that traffic won't be a problem
“My opinion is that if we can make it as uniform as possible for the hours of these establishments, it would make sense,” Navin said during last week's meeting.
City Councilor Donald Landers said he supports the change, saying the dispensaries have caused no noticeable conflicts.
“It’s a retail-type business now. We don’t hear anything from you guys, which is good,” he told Falk.
No concerns expressed
Urban Affairs Committee Chair Katie Robey said no other town officials raised concerns about the potential changes, and there were no comments during a public hearing that was held about the change.
“The council received emails from all department heads, and they had no concerns or suggestions on the change, in addition to the fact that nobody spoke at the public hearing,” Robey said.
On Monday, City Councilor David Doucette said he supported the motion, but added that dispensaries are starting to remain open later just as the rabid demand that existed when dispensaries first opened in Massachusetts has begun to decline.
More: Another cannabis dispensary proposed for Framingham's marijuana retail district
“I think the councilors need to be aware that the hours of the dispensaries are actually getting less," Doucette said. "The dispensaries are finding that the demand for it is not as much as it once was. Basically, people who smoke pot get up late. They are opening up at 11 or 12 o’clock, that is the way it goes. It’s fine for this, but we are into this other stage, where we are past the mad rush to get the stuff because it is available whenever you need it, and we are starting to (see) reality soaking in.”
The council voted Monday to refer the change to the city’s Legal Department, which will review proposed changes.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Marlborough officials seek uniform, longer hours for cannabis shops
