Avon Select Board Clears Path for Medical Marijuana Host Agreement

AVON -- December 2, 2021, Avon Select Board moves toward finalizing medical marijuana host community agreement after dropping a contested clause. The board voted to authorize continued negotiations with INSA, a medical marijuana company seeking to operate a dispensary on Stockwell Drive, after agreeing to remove a provision that would have required INSA to cease operations if annual revenues fell short of projected five to six million dollars. Town Counsel noted that a hard revenue floor would violate state law but suggested the agreement could include a trigger requiring INSA to report to the board if sales fell below a threshold. A formal vote on the completed agreement, which includes a 3 percent community impact fee and a $25,000 upfront payment, was deferred to the December 16 meeting pending the return of an absent third board member. The board also read into the record a letter from the Avon Coalition for Everyone's Success opposing the agreement on public health grounds, citing CDC and state data on marijuana's effects on adolescents and impaired driving.