Newbury Street: High-End Shopping And Marijuana?
A marijuana dispensary operator has set its eyes on an eclectic end of Newbury Street in Back Bay.
Compassionate Organics, which was rejected last year in its attempt to open at a site in Allston, is proposing a dispensary at 331 Newbury St. near the Hynes MBTA station, the Boston Herald reports. While Compassionate Organics faced a tough time getting approval in Allston, the company’s potential neighbors appear supportive.
“We are not the same clientele that is going to Burberry and Chanel,” Trident Booksellers & Cafe manager Courtney Flynn told the Herald. “We attract an eclectic clientele. Some of them probably would enjoy a dispensary.”
While Newbury Street is dotted by retailers like Valentino closer to the Boston Public Garden, its western blocks are marked by retailers like Newbury Comics and the Boston Smoke Shop and frequented by students attending nearby Berklee College of Music.
Despite a Massachusetts ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana sales passing by more than 1.8 million votes in November, the Massachusetts House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill this Thursday to overhaul the measure. Details of what could change have been limited, but it is possible taxes on marijuana sales could rise. Clarity to language regarding how municipalities can ban marijuana facilities and how pot sales will be overseen are also likely to emerge from any bill passed.
