Green Meadows Farm asks Marlborough City Council to amend special permit to add medical cannabis sales

Chris Zawake, CEO of Green Meadows Farm LLC, asked the Marlborough City Council on March 20 to amend a special permit for 239 Boston Post Road West so the company can dispense medical cannabis at the site currently planned for an adult-use dispensary.

The request was made during a public hearing in which Zawake described the company’s purchase of assets connected to the location, the site build-out, and plans to follow state licensing. “We’re here this evening to request an amendment to that special permit. We’d like to allow for the medical dispensing of our products to patients,” Zawake said. He told the council the company is completing construction under lease with RK Centers and is targeting an adult-use opening this summer pending Cannabis Control Commission inspections.

The company’s chairman, Bob Patton, described family and veteran-oriented aspects of the business and said the firm began as a medical provider. “It was about being medical. It was about, honoring the legacy that not just our family, but so many families in America,” Patton said.

Why this matters: an amendment would allow patients in Marlborough access to medical cannabis at the proposed location and would require the council to consider public-safety and land-use protections embedded in the special-permit process.

Councilors asked about the share of medical business and guardrails for on-site behavior. When Councilor Bridal asked what percentage of sales at the company’s two existing locations are medical and what percentage are veterans, Zawake said, “Medical ranges between 12–15% between the two dispensaries,” and that about “9% are veterans.” He added the host community agreement for the site allows medical dispensing.

On safety and on-site consumption, Zawake said staff are trained and the company uses procedures to discourage on-site use, including sealed exit bags and security monitoring. “We have surveillance, interior and exterior, and they keep an eye on all of that,” he said.

No final vote on the amendment was taken at the March 20 meeting. The hearing record was closed and the item remains with the Urban Affairs committee for further consideration and any future council action.

Details from the hearing: - Location on record: 239 Boston Post Road West. The applicant said construction is in final stages and a target opening for adult-use sales is this summer pending state inspection. - Company background provided: Green Meadows operates other dispensaries in Southbridge and Fitchburg and said it is vertically integrated with cultivation and manufacturing in Southbridge. - Operational details mentioned: hours would comply with the existing special permit; the host community agreement includes medical sales; product deliveries and cash pickups would not be increased by adding medical dispensing; onsite security and standard operating procedures were described.

The council closed the public hearing and left the matter with the Urban Affairs committee for any next steps. No ordinance, permit amendment, or license was adopted at the March 20 meeting.