Page 8 - BusinessWest September 19, 2022
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Cannabis in Flux
It’s Still an Economic Driver, While New Law Addresses Thorny Issues
By Joseph Bednar
According to the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), legal marijuana is now an annual $3 billion business in Massachusetts.
The communities that have embraced it from the beginning, like Holyoke, can attest to can- nabis as an economic driver in terms of com- mercial real estate, jobs, and other opportunities.
“We saw this as an industry
that could take over some vacant and underutilized buildings, and that’s what informed how we went forward.”
The city now has four dispensaries, three grow facilities, and a testing lab up and running, with dozens of other applications at various stages of the permitting process — a process, city Plan- ning & Economic Development Director Aaron Vega said, that was always intended to be easy to navigate.
Aaron Vega says cannabis has been a definite economic driver in Holyoke’s downtown and canal district.
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391 DAMON ROAD, NORTHAMPTON ENLITECANNABIS.COM
This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the innuence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of Edibles may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of
a a
  ccidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222-1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA.
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  8 SEPTEMBER 19, 2022
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