One marijuana business agreement approved for negotiations, one tabled by Select Board

May 17, 2022

Two more cannabis companies are looking to come to Wareham. On Tuesday, the Select Board authorized officials to begin negotiations with one company as they wait for more information from the second.

Board members heard from Kent Haehl of ASV MA Operating, Inc. and John Carlson of Jay C. Greene Enterprises, LLC., with both men looking to open cannabis establishments in town.

Haehl spoke on behalf of cleen:tech, a cannabinoid company based in Seattle. The company is looking to open a manufacturing facility on Cranberry Highway, which would process cannabis material into an extract that would be sold to other manufacturers for further processing.

No cultivation or retail business would happen in the facility, counsel Jesse Alderman clarified during the meeting. The company is looking at a standalone building at the old Ocean Spray complex at 3065 Cranberry Highway, and it estimates building improvements would cost about $250,000-350,000, Haehl said.

Haehl said the company plans on sourcing cannabis materials from supply partners in the state, and the first year could see more than $25 million in revenue. This would be cleen:tech’s first Massachusetts’ site, though the company also operates businesses in Washington and Arizona.

The Select Board voted to authorize the Town Administrator to negotiate the company’s community host agreement, which is essentially a contract between the town and marijuana establishment.

The second business to present, Jay C. Greene, saw its request for three community host agreements — for cultivation, delivery and manufacturing — tabled to no sooner than May 31.

Some board members didn’t have all the paperwork ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, so members voted to postpone further discussion until everyone had time to review submitted content. The proposed facility would be located at 3 Tow Road, near already existing dispensary Trade Roots and marijuana delivery service Doobie.

Board members also shared their confusion over if Carlson’s business would include a retail aspect, as Wareham has already reached its cap of three retail storefront marijuana businesses in town. Because of the uncertainty, the board also directed Carlson to work with the town’s director of planning to clarify any points of confusion.

Carlson, who said he was a Marion resident and a Wareham High School alumnus, thanked the board for their time.