EASTHAMPTON — A city resident hopes to open a cannabis coffeehouse in late spring, envisioning a place where people will day be able to smoke marijuana on-site and attend educational programs and classes about the industry.
Karima Rizk said her vision for Cafe Vert is a high-end, pot-friendly coffeehouse as well as a meeting place to have programs, classes and talks.
“It’s not going to be like party central,” Rizk said, adding that the business will have a mindful approach to the marijuana industry.
Rizk said she plans to open her shop before obtaining an retail marijuana license and will start off serving Strava Craft Coffee, which is infused with CBD hemp oil. The business will also serve locally sourced food. Rizk said she will apply for a retail marijuana license in late spring or early summer.
She added that plans are still up in the air, and she must be flexible regarding what regulations are put in place by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission in March.
Meanwhile, the Easthampton Planning Board last week passed an ordinance that would allow on-site consumption of marijuana, limit the number of marijuana retailers in the city to 12 and require such establishments to be at least 200 feet away from schools and child care centers.
The ordinance will now head for review by the City Council Ordinance Subcommittee, followed by a public hearing for a vote by the full council.
Rizk has been an advocate for social, on-site consumption of marijuana at Planning Board meetings. She said allowing on-site consumption provides a safe and responsible place for to smoke marijuana.
She adds that some people do not have a place to smoke, including those who live in federally-funded housing, parents who want to keep weed out of the household, renters who are prohibited from smoking inside their units and tourists who cannot smoke inside a hotel.
Rizk earned a master’s degree from Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst this year and recently worked at a medical marijuana dispensary. She took a trip to Colorado in November to do some research for her business venture.
Rizk said she’s negotiating a lease in Easthampton and could not reveal the exact location where the cafe would be.
When transitioning to becoming a retail marijuana business, Rizk said she’ll have an area, possibly a patio for smoking. She plans on offering memberships and allowing people to stay for an extended amount of time, such as four hours, for safe consumption, and to avoid driving under the influence. She added that people will be screened before entering to make sure everyone is 21 or older.
She wants to have talks at the cafe that educate people new to marijuana about safe consumption.
“Education is really important,” Rizk said.
With a the new industry sprouting up in Massachusetts, Rizk said she expects regulations to change along the way.
“There will be delays,” Rizk said.
Meanwhile, Hampden Care Facility, a medical marijuana dispensary, expects to open in Easthampton next month. Attorney Stephen Reilly, who represents the business, anticipates on applying for a recreational marijuana license when it becomes available.
As for on-site consumption, Reilly said, “It’s possible.”
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.
Editor’s note: This story was changed at 2:45 p.m. on Dec. 13, 2017, to correct the spelling of Karima Rizk’s last name.