WHATELY — The former Massachusetts resident intrigued by marijuana’s healing benefits is one step closer to opening a recreational marijuana dispensary at 85 State Road after securing a special permit from Whately’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
Board members voted unanimously Thursday to grant a permit to Dr. Karen Gaston of Diamond Shine LLC in East Granby, Conn. Gaston is now waiting on a license from the state Cannabis Control Commission, having applied after getting approved for a community host agreement with the town on June 26. She said the dispensary’s opening date is up in the air, but she is thrilled to have the necessary special permit.
“It alleviates a lot of pressure that was there before, especially with all the time and energy that’s been put into this,” she said. “We’ve worked hard.”
Gaston said she must also go before the town’s Planning Board on Oct. 29 to “dot the i’s and cross the t’s.”
She said the ZBA was thorough in its process, examining Diamond Shine’s proposed security, odor control, architectural design — even its logo. ZBA members also conducted a walk-through of the 85 State Road building, formerly the home of 1 Call Does It All real estate liquidation, in August.
Gaston said she has a doctorate in educational psychology and runs Elegant Clinical Corporation, a not-for-profit organization in East Windsor, Conn., serving people with developmental and mental health disabilities. She also has a cannabidiol store, called LNK-CBD, in East Windsor. Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is used for medical purposes and does not get people high. Diamond Shine also grows hemp in East Granby, Conn., and in Whately.
“We want to offer quality and integrity in our products,” Gaston said, adding that the tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in marijuana can help with pain management and inflammation. “(It) helps folks function on a day-to-day basis. … It actually helps your body heal itself.
“A big part of what I want to do is make sure the things that are working for people are always available,” she continued. “That’s really important to me.”
Gaston said she also wants to cultivate marijuana in Whately or Deerfield.
“Our goal … is to ultimately have everything ‘seed-to-sale,’” she said.
She explained she has ties to Franklin County because she and her parents were born in Greenfield. She was raised in Whately.
Reach Domenic Poli: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.