November 19, 2021

Cannabis impact panel awards $350,000 in pot revenue to eight local agencies

BY Terry CowgillThe Berkshire Edge

GREAT BARRINGTON — The town of Great Barrington has just awarded $350,000 in cannabis community impact funds to eight government entities and nonprofits in town. The awards were made at the recommendation of the town’s Community Impact Funding Committee (CIF), the town said in a written statement.

The funds have been allocated as follows:

Berkshire Hills Regional School District – $150,000
Railroad Street Youth Project – $70,000
Volunteers in Medicine – $30,000
Community Legal Aid – $10,000
Rural Recovery Resources – $35,000
Elizabeth Freeman Center – $25,000
Clinton Church Restoration – $15,000
Great Barrington Police Department – $15,000
“We were thrilled to receive so many strong proposals and have done our best to spread these funds in the most effective way possible and with the broadest reach,” said town resident Rebecca Gold, who heads the CIF Committee, which received 25 funding requests.

The town says the committee focused its funding broadly on programs that support community health, mental health, public safety, and drug addiction risk. The CIF added that its award to the Clinton Church Restoration is intended to support the town’s reputation and commitment to local African-American history, and to “counterbalance our town’s reputation for cannabis.”

These funds are distributed as part of the state’s Community Impact Fund, which permits cities and towns to levy a portion of annual cannabis sales revenue for distribution to help mitigate impacts of the cannabis industry. The percentage of revenues is typically negotiated as part of a host community agreement between cannabis retailers and host towns.

In 2020, Great Barrington awarded $185,000 in CIF funds to local nonprofits. The 2020 award reflected revenue mainly from one cannabis shop, Theory Wellness, but four now operate in town.

Since its first recreational marijuana stores opened in January 2019, the town of Great Barrington has taken in a total of more than $6.7 million in cannabis-related revenues.

There are two separate taxes that provide a source of cannabis revenue for municipalities that host so-called adult-use cannabis stores: a 3-percent local sales tax added to the state excise and sales taxes; and the aforementioned community impact fee that is typically 3 percent of a store’s gross sales. Approximately half of the Great Barrington’s cannabis revenues were generated by the community impact fee, town finance director Susan Carmel has said.

In an email, Berkshire Hills Superintendent Peter Dillon told The Edge the district’s $150,000 share of impact funding will go toward the salary and benefits of new district wellness coordinator Iona Smith, materials for school and family wellness events, stipends for the 15-member task force on curriculum development, and staff professional development.

“We’re very excited about the opportunity to continue our efforts to support health and wellness and really appreciate Great Barrington’s support,” Dillon said.