As Dick Evans pointed out in his recent guest column, the Aranzullos are legally permitted to open a marijuana dispensary in Florence. The Aranzullos have seized upon an opportunity in Massachusetts that doesn’t yet exist for them in their hometown. Massachusetts is steps ahead of Connecticut where it permits retail sale of marijuana for recreational use. The abundance of dispensaries in or near Northampton reflects decades of planning and presence in this area of a well-developed, commercial growing infrastructure dispensaries rely upon. There’s still money to be made and room for these businesses to grow, even if the market here feels oversaturated. Here in Florence, the sale of the Parsons and Goodwin blocks opened the door for residential and commercial redevelopment. Along with the developer/landlord, the Aranzullos stand to make a tidy profit in this market — that’s what successful businesses do. That a business is legally entitled to operate doesn’t mean we have to blithely accept its presence in our community or on a highly visible corner. Realistically, there’s little to be done to stop Euphorium, which is the pinnacle of frustration for opponents and precipitant to loud protest at the recent public meeting. Let’s be mindful that even if vitriolic, that protest is an integral part of the same democratic process that allowed the Aranzullos this business opportunity in the first place. If we genuinely embrace a “spirit of tolerance” then it should extend to that neighborhood protest. Finally, I’m tired of and disagree with the argument that marijuana, as it is professionally cultivated and sold today, is benign. Like alcohol in its many forms, marijuana is a potent intoxicant, and because of that, its possession, use by and sale to adults is well regulated. While I support the right of the Aranzullos and their local advisor(s) to capitalize on the legal marijuana market here in Massachusetts, I just wish it wasn’t from that corner of our quiet little village.
M.E. Bradford
Florence