Candid about cannabis: Sedgwick man discusses recreational pot shop plans in Blue Hill
A Q&A with Brian Sherwell about his plans to open Blue Hill’s first recreational marijuana store. Voters have to give him the green light first.
By Tricia Thomas
BLUE HILL—Voters will decide on November 4 whether to allow a recreational, adult-use marijuana dispensary in Blue Hill, which would be the town’s first. Blue Hill already has a licensed medical dispensary on Ellsworth Road, which sells cannabis products to patrons who have a state-issued medical card.
Brian Sherwell, a Sedgwick resident, first approached the select board on the plan at a public meeting last April. At the time, Sherwell said he already had received conditional approval from the state, and sought guidance from the board on how best to move forward. Board chair Ellen Best instructed Sherwell to mount a petition to advance the matter to a public vote. She also cautioned him that Blue Hill voters have twice rejected similar plans.
Sherwell turned in his completed petition earlier this month, with 179 verified signatures from Blue Hill voters who support bringing the issue to a public vote. He needed at least 170, or 10 percent of the town’s voters, to get the matter placed on the ballot. An October 22 public hearing will precede the vote.
In a recent telephone interview, Sherwell answered a range of questions regarding the plan, its potential benefits for Blue Hill, and possible concerns from the community. You can read the Q&A below.
Brian and Abril Sherwell hope to open a recreational marijuana dispensary in Blue Hill. Photo courtesy of Brian Sherwell.
What got you thinking about opening a recreational dispensary?
[Recreational cannabis] has played an important part in my life, helping me do things like manage anxiety. It also has helped friends and family members. I’ve seen first-hand how it can contribute to a better quality of life.
When my wife and I moved here after living out-of-state for a while, we noticed that there were no registered [recreational] dispensaries on the peninsula. The closest one is in Bucksport, which opened very recently. There are a couple of medical dispensaries around, but there’s no recreational dispensary in pretty much all of Hancock County. That got us wondering why, and we thought this presented a good opportunity to build something that could be a core part of the community—a store that fits into the fabric of the town.
Why Blue Hill?
I was born in Blue Hill, at the old Blue Hill Hospital, and I grew up in Brooksville. My wife and I now live just over the border, in Sedgwick. So, I’ve been connected to this town and this area for a very long time. Also, Blue Hill really feels like the center of commerce for the entire peninsula, and a place where people like to gather.
Are you looking at other locations?
We are open to others, but Blue Hill is really where we want to be. We view it as kind of the economic center, or the focal point, of the area.
When did you start working on the idea?
About nine months ago. As I said, my wife and I were driving to Bangor just to visit a dispensary, and we wondered why there wasn’t one in this area, even though it’s legal in the state. It seemed like a big disconnect for us, especially when every grocery store has liquor in it.
What do you feel are the benefits of a recreational facility versus a medical dispensary?
There are a couple. One, I don’t think that a doctor should be in between you and your decision. That doesn’t necessarily make a lot of sense to me. This isn’t a drug that has horrendous medical effects or that leads to overdosing.
Also, when you look at the recreational laws and how Maine has set it up, the products are actually tracked much better, and need to have better labeling consistency. And, as far as I understand it, if you are under a medical license, you don’t have to participate in the state tracking system. You’re also not paying taxes on any of those sales. So, to me, it’s putting another hurdle in place by having that medical card, which I feel is unnecessary. And then, on top of that, I appreciate the more tightly regulated system [of recreational sales] because you have much more oversight on safety of product.
Why do you think there aren’t more recreational dispensaries in the state?
As I started researching, I learned about the “opt-in law,” which gave communities the right to opt in to the future possibility of allowing marijuana sales when it first became legal here in the state. A lot of communities didn’t opt in, because they didn’t know what ramifications would come from [having dispensaries].
But now, five years have passed, and the state has released a lot of records showing that the industry has created a lot of jobs. It’s led to safer products on the market and a reduction of the black market. The industry also has generated a lot of tax revenue.
For the towns that said “no” five years ago, I think it’s smart to come back and reconsider this. We have a lot more evidence now about how this is positively affecting the state and the towns that adopt it. So, my feeling is, let’s have another discussion about getting it approved here.
What were some of the ramifications that towns feared, do you think?
I think towns were concerned about the possibility of [rising] crime rates and that these stores would attract “the wrong kind” of people. But, if you look at the statistics coming from the state, there’s been no effect on crime rates.
Would your shop be located in the downtown area?
We have to be at least a thousand feet away, per the state, from a school. So, that pretty much rules out most or all of downtown Blue Hill.
We most likely would buy an existing building and then renovate it. We’d want to invest in that building and make sure that we’re building it to the town standards. We see places like the Blue Hill Wine Shop or Bucklyn Coffee, which are shining examples of how to do it right. They have really become part of the fabric of the town, and that’s the kind of place we want to create.
The state has a lot of regulations about how the shops need to be set up for security purposes, which we’ll do, but we also want to be mindful of aesthetics and the “feel” of the building. We don’t want to create something that sticks out like a sore thumb, or that looks offensive in any way. That’s not what we’re trying to accomplish.
I’m seeing more reports on possible negative health effects of marijuana use, especially when smoking it. Any thoughts on that?
I think most people understand that pulling any kind of smoke into your lungs, from any source, is probably not the best thing for your health, which is why we plan to offer a range of products, [including edible cannabis]. That said, I’ve looked at studies for a very long time, and have not seen anything really compelling about negative effects on health from light or normal usage.
Once you start getting into real heavy usage, there can be an issue, and heavy use is not something we would ever push for. When someone says “heavy use,” that usually means they’re over-using. But most people, if they’re consuming it a few times a week, or taking it daily at very low doses to help with a medical condition, don’t have any issues.
What I am encouraged about are studies like one recently from the Rutgers University School of Medicine showing that presence of a local legal dispensary in the area can lead to, I think, a 10- to 15-percent decrease in opioid use. That’s a really positive aspect.
What about concerns over cannabis and driving?
It feels kind of like a red herring, to be honest, because that could be said about alcohol or about a lot of things. It’s more about irresponsible behavior more than the drug itself. Obviously, if you are intoxicated in any way, you should not be getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, no matter where that intoxication comes from.
What else are people skeptical about that you’d like to address?
Safety. All the products coming from a recreational dispensary are tested and properly labeled, so you know what you’re getting. This is about having an environment where products are safe, are safely and readily accessible to those who want to consume a legally available substance.
What kinds of reactions are you getting?
We’ve been getting a lot of real positive reactions. Some people have had concerns, and we listened and tried to understand those concerns, so that we can address them as we move forward.
Are younger people more supportive of the plan than older folks?
Initially, I thought that might be the case, but it does not fall generationally. I have had people from all age groups in town that are for it. I found out real quick, standing out there talking to people and getting signatures, that age doesn’t seem to necessarily matter at all.
What are the next steps in the process?
We already have applied for and received a conditional license from the state, which took a couple of months and involved background checks and other kinds of checks. Then, we talked with the town to see how many signatures we’d need and started working on the petition. The petition didn’t ask for people to say they were for or against this. It only asked whether they supported holding a vote, which is the next step.
If the town does vote to opt in, do you have a timeline for opening?
We are looking into being operational by the spring. If this goes forward, I’m assuming that the town will then take a couple of months to develop applicable ordinances. We also can find a place and start working on it to get it ready.
What happens if the town votes no? Do you have a plan B?
At that point, we would need to look at other towns in the area. We are focused right now on Blue Hill. That’s where we want to be, and we feel we can contribute a lot.
You mentioned that you and your wife, Abril, are doing this in your spare time. What else do you do?
We both work in marketing, and have worked for advertising and media companies for the last couple of decades. We also both came from academia, and have gone on this journey of living in the big cities—from New York to Chicago to San Francisco—and then giving up that life and moving here because we love being here.
