“I’m a recovering substance abuser,” William told Sampan. “My friends know this, my family knows this. I am all too aware of the problems that come when an addict’s drug of choice, like tobacco and alcohol, is legal and easily available. I’m also aware of the regulations in place for sale and distribution and the resources available for treatment to prevent addiction.” He is 67 yrs old, and has owned a Cannabis Shop in Lowell for over 6 years. He said, “ My customers are your neighbors and mine; cancer patients, lawyers, grandmothers and divinity students. I believe the product I sell has the potential to heal and soothe a lot of life’s problems. We just need to be adults about allowing the demands of the marketplace to be met by conscientious business people like myself and my colleagues who can sell safe products to people who need it, not just those who impulsively want it. We can enhance any neighborhood if we’re given a chance.”
Cannabis companies have been attempting to open shops in Boston’s Chinatown over the recent years. In 2020, Sanctuary Medicinal, a cannabis dispensary based in the New England area, proposed to the Boston Cannabis Board to open a dispensary on 253-255 Tremont Street; in 2021, Royalty Group, LLC, another cannabis shop, also vied for approval to open its retail store on 31-39 Stuart Street. However, the past proposals have all been denied by the Boston Cannabis Board due to Chinatown community activists’ strong opposition. Recently, another recreational cannabis dispensary company, Dragon Buds, Inc. (Beantown Buds), proposed to open a new dispensary on 25-29 Beach Street. Unsurprisingly, Chinatown is not buying it.
On Wednesday, Feb 1st, the Chinatown Safety Committee held a meeting via Zoom opposing the opening of Dragon Buds. A community activist and the Josiah Quincy Upper school principal, Richard Chang, has been actively opposing cannabis retailing in Chinatown. According to Chang, there is no good reason for cannabis shops to operate in Chinatown.
“From past public hearings on cannabis shops in Chinatown, it’s clear few Chinatown residents, organizations or businesses are in favor, except for those persons with direct financial interests in cannabis operations. Cannabis operators like to characterize Chinatown as a commercial district. In fact, thousands of residents live in Chinatown homes. Would any cannabis operators consider operating their shops in the vicinity of their own homes and in their own residential neighborhoods? Cannabis shops should be sited in commercial and industrial zones and in neighborhoods that welcome their products.”
In addition, Chang thinks the opening of a cannabis shop may bring much harm to the community, including increasing the risk to pedestrians or drivers due to an increase in the occurrence of driving under the influence, aggravating the already congested roadway due to the emergence of drive-by marijuana customers, displacing desirable business that Chinatown would prefer to patronize instead, and creating public nuisances to the residents due to individual loitering or consuming marijuana products in the vicinity.
Retailing recreational cannabis has been legal in Massachusetts since November 2018. Since then, close to 200 stores have opened, and almost 400 establishments have been licensed. According to a poll published by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, 61% of Massachusetts residents respondents said legal adult-use cannabis has overall been positive for the state, 25 answered neither, and only 13% of residents said it was negative. There will likely be more dispensaries opening in the near future, and Massachusetts residents have different opinions on this matter. Some supporters think that better accessibility to drugs may decrease illegal criminal activities, raise tax revenue, improve public health, and increase traffic safety. Opponents believe that regulations have not matched up with the increase in retailers and may increase crime, harm public health, disrupt traffic safety, and lower teen educational achievements. Numerous research supports both sides of the argument, and the currently available data suggest the negative and positive impacts of legalizing marijuana have been relatively small. Mayor Michelle Wu’s office officials said they would study other U.S. cities’ cannabis sector to determine how many cannabis shops are enough for the state.
Sampan randomly interviewed 3 Chinatown residents and 3 professionals who worked in Chinatown. Unanimously, all expressed similar concerns with Chang. A 42-year-old Chinese professional woman who has worked in Chinatown for over 20 years told Sampan that opening a cannabis dispensary “will cause an increase in the number of drug users, destroy families and increase crime.” A young Chinese accountant in her 20s commented that not only does she think “the addition of a marijuana dispensary could further exacerbate substance abuse issues,” but that “the presence of a marijuana dispensary in Chinatown could contribute to a decline in property values and discourage families from wanting to live in the area.”
All respondents voiced concerns about the potential threat cannabis dispensaries could pose to children and young adults. Activists described to Sampan that since the fight against cannabis shops many families have signed petitions to oppose any cannabis shops to be sited in Chinatown. Principal Chang is extremely concerned that opening a dispensary may make access to marijuana much easier for his students. He noted that cannabis is often known as the “gateway drug” that leads to addiction to more dangerous substances. “If even just one of my student’s college and career aspirations is derailed by marijuana and other substances, that is one casualty too many. Already, my staff occasionally finds a student under the influence of marijuana. I fully anticipate these instances to be more common if a cannabis operator were to set up shop in Chinatown within walking distance from my school.” While accepting the legalization of marijuana and believing that the drug may be beneficial for specific health issues, a 25-year-old Chinese college student living in Chinatown expressed that “it’s reasonable for parents to be concerned about dispensaries opening near schools and daycare centers. Irrespective of the effects of dispensaries opening near schools, I believe that there should be some restrictions on where marijuana dispensaries should be permitted to open, even if it’s just for the concerned parents’ peace of mind.”
Other respondents hold more vigorous opposition against any substance consumption. After teaching for thirty years and witnessing too many addictions starting in middle schools, Anthony, a 57 yr old educator working in Chinatown, told Sampan, “I’ve reached the point where I think it should all be banned. Take the cigarettes out of the bodegas, the alcohol out of the corner shop, and the lottery tickets from behind the counter. Those are all legal, but they’re destroying our young people.”
Patricia, a longtime agency director, remembers the many years it took to push the nude bars and clubs (Boston’s Combat Zone) out of Chinatown. “We would be allowing that same kind of culture back into our community if we permit these cannabis shops into our community. We must be vigilant and never allow businesses who only care about making money to ever use Chinatown and its people again. ” She asks, “ Isn’t it frightening that 3 different cannabis dispensaries have been trying to open in Chinatown since 2020 ?”
In Massachusetts, the licensing process for dispensaries is relatively restrictive. The Cannabis Control Commission requires retailers to host community outreach meetings and work with the municipality on the required Host Community Agreement. In addition, owners of cannabis businesses wishing to open shops in Boston have to gain approval from both the Zoning Board of Appeal and the state Cannabis Control Commission. Since Chinatown community members are highly concerned about how cannabis dispensaries may affect Chinatown residents’ quality of life, there is no doubt that the proposal by Dragon Buds will face fierce resistance and may even be unlikely to pass during the community outreach meetings.
