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Brookline Residents Petition For Changes To Pot Shop Laws

BROOKLINE (CBS) - Residents in Brookline are advocating to make changes for marijuana businesses in town.

Three warrant articles come before Town Meeting on Thursday night. The three proposals include: reducing operating hours, creating an appointment-only system and setting up a study committee.

BrooklinePot
Some Brookline residents are requesting changes to rules for marijuana businesses in town. New England Treatment Access, which has a store in Brookline, has agreed to reduce its operating hours. (WBZ-TV)

Paul Warren is one of ten residents co-petitioning these changes. He said the volume where the town's current shop Neta is, is a lot for the neighborhood.

"With the long line, it means you're in line for 50 minutes. That means someone is idling their car, possibly for 50 minutes. It means they're taking up a parking space. It means the Uber drivers are circling, and there are a lot of other issues that just come with putting two pounds of flour in a one-pound bag," Warren said.

Leaders at New England Treatment Access said they've already agreed to one of the articles, which is to reduce their hours.

"Cannabis consumers should not be treated differently than any other consumers," said New England Treatment Access President Amanda Rositano.

Rositano said the company has worked since its opening to manage traffic concerns and recently added more parking spots. She has serious concerns about moving to an appointment-only system and believes it will push away customers worried about their privacy.

"This is still a federally illegal product. There is still significant stigma associated with cannabis and cannabis users. People want to be able to maintain their privacy," said Rositano.

"I think having appointments would make it more inconvenient," said NETA customer Shanay Wadhwani.

If passed, the proposals will apply to all marijuana shops that open in Brookline through 2022.

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