Ban Marijuana Dispensaries in Franklin

The Town of Franklin is now in council about the placement of a marijuana dispensary proposed to be located at 1256 West Central Street, Franklin, MA. The town previously put into place a marijuana overlay district in attempts to get "a step ahead" of a marijuana dispensary applying to operate in Franklin. While the foresight of an overlay district was to help keep distance between a possible dispensary and the citizens, the following reasons advocate for a ban of such dispensaries. 

Franklin has been ranked very highly for safety and family friendliness for over a decade. Let's keep it that way! Just to name a few:

#1 Safest city in MA (2018, Safewise.com)

#3 Safest city in US (2018,NeighborhoodScout) 

#1 Safest city in US (2014,NeighborhoodScout)

#1 Best Place to Raise Kids in MA (2012, Businessweek)

10 Best Towns for Families (2009, Family Circle)

Problems:

-Easy Access to the Underage Population: the dispensary is within a 7-10 minute drive to 2 high schools, 1 middle school, 1 elementary school, 1 college and an early education preschool. The proximity is incredibly close. While the age to sell to is 21, it is easy for those who can purchase marijuana, to re-sell it to the younger population. Not to mention, Franklin Village is a hangout location for middle and high school students that frequently walk there. If the dispensary is down the street a market is created for those who want to resell.

-Traffic Congestion: other dispensaries have had 2,000 people a day attend their dispensary when they first opened. This dispensary is close to the Forge Park stop on the commuter rail and 495. 140 going from Franklin to Bellingham is already incredibly congested as is. This would create more congestion.

-Pediatric/Primary Care/Urgent Care offices within 200 feet of the dispensary: this is potentially a child care facility and violates the law.

-Interstate Traffic: we will see an increase in people from other towns coming to Franklin to purchase and smoke marijuana in town who can take advantage and market to the younger population. 

-Residential District: In addition to interstate and commuter rail traffic, there is also a new 400+ unit apartment complex, The Westerly, that is a half block away (3 min walk) from the proposed dispensary. Children and youth would likely be exposed.

The benefit of having the dispensary in Franklin is minimal in comparison to the pitfalls. While it creates more convenience for those who need it for medical and recreational purposes, there are plenty of dispensaries in the area (Sharon), where there is easy access. Placing the dispensary here does not create convenience that would outweigh the risks to the community. The dispensary is close to two high schools and a college. There is great risk of reselling to the younger population. While you can't force anyone to not smoke/use underage, we also don't have to create an environment of easy access to it either.

Proposed Solutions:

By attaining 1,002 signatures (the required 3% of the population) from residents of voting age in the town of Franklin, the town can now put the question of marijuana back on the November 2019 ballot. Help us keep our Town of Franklin safe and family friendly by signing the petition. We hope to present this at the next Planning Board meeting on July 22nd @ 7pm. Come join us and let your voice make a difference! Thank you!