Select Board members must decide whether to enter into a host community agreement to allow Coil Brothers, LLC, to open a marijuana product manufacturing business in Harvard.
At the Nov. 19 meeting of the Planning Board, Coil Brothers’ paid consultant Carolyn Burek said that Coil Brothers will be doing THC oil extraction. This is very important information. Coil Brothers has been saying they will be doing CO2 oil extraction of CBD oil, which is used for medicinal purposes. Until now, there was no public mention of THC oil extraction. The state marijuana product manufacturing license would allow both THC oil extraction and CBD oil extraction because it does not distinguish between the two.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), “Smoking THC-rich resins extracted from the marijuana plant is on the rise. People call this practice dabbing. These extracts come in various forms such as oil, wax, and butter. These extracts can deliver extremely large amounts of THC to the body, and their use has sent some people to the emergency room.” Legally Coil Brothers could be selling high potency THC oil—the main ingredient used in edibles, vape pens, dabbing, etc.—to other marijuana manufacturers and retailers. According to the NIH’s 2017 Monitoring the Future survey of eighth, 10th- and 12th-graders, “both vaping and marijuana are more popular than traditional cigarettes or pain reliever misuse.” According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “New research has demonstrated that the adolescent brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex areas controlling judgment and decision-making, is not fully developed until the mid-20’s, raising questions about how any substance use may affect the developing brain. Research has shown that the younger an adolescent begins using drugs, including marijuana, the more likely it is that drug dependence or addiction will develop in adulthood.” According to the NIH, the marijuana addiction rate for adolescents is 17 percent compared to 9 percent for adults.
THC oil extracted in Harvard will likely be used in products sold in pot shops across Massachusetts. Inevitably, some will end up on the gray market and black market for teens to obtain. Contrary to popular belief, where marijuana is legal, the black market thrives. The Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA) September 2018 update stated that in 2017 the organization conducted 144 investigations of black market marijuana in Colorado, resulting in 239 felony arrests, 14,692 pounds of marijuana seized, 6,462 edibles seized, and 102 pounds of concentrate seized.
Unintended consequences
By partnering with Coil Brothers, the town will be responsible for unintended consequences of this business. One unintended consequence is an increased risk of suicide. The November 2014 issue of The Lancet, a respected British peer-reviewed medical journal “reported associations between cannabis use in adolescence and a range of important life outcomes. Combining data at a participant level from three longitudinal cohort studies in Australia and New Zealand, and controlling for an impressive number of confounding variables, Silins and colleagues report that increased frequency of cannabis use before age 17 years predicted reduced likelihood of completing high school or gaining a university degree alongside increased risk of cannabis dependence, use of other illicit drugs, and attempted suicide. Silins and colleagues conclude that the reported associations showed a dose-response relation with cannabis exposure.” The researchers found that people who used marijuana daily before age 17 are seven times more likely to attempt suicide.
Drugged driving
Drugged driving now surpasses drunk driving in fatal car accidents, according to the most recent report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). Per the American College of Pediatricians, “Marijuana contributes to accidents while driving due to its significant impairment of judgement and motor coordination. Data from several studies was analyzed and documented that use of marijuana more than doubles a driver’s risk of involvement in an accident.” If we allow Coil Brothers to extract THC oil in Harvard, we are part of the drug problem, not part of the solution.
Harvard, like other towns, is searching for new ways to fund town budgets. Since some of the most creative, intelligent, and innovative people live in Harvard, surely we can do better than “pot money” as a funding source. Revenue received from Coil Brothers would be just a small part of the town’s receipts. According to articles this fall in the Harvard Press, with an HCA draft assuming a payment of $100,000 plus 1.25 percent of first-year sales, the expected revenue to the town might amount to roughly $107,500 in the first year of operation. Per the town’s website, with a fiscal 2019 omnibus budget of $25,790,853, that income would amount to 0.4 percent of Harvard’s budget, which is less than one-half of one percent. It’s a drop in the bucket.
In choosing to partner with Coil Brothers, we are sending the message that we value money over health and wellness. Is the small amount of money added to Harvard’s town coffers worth the potential costs to youth? To society?
Will Harvard’s Select Board members choose money or the health and wellness of our youth?
Theresa Hoggins of Ann Lees Road is a financial analyst with an MBA, a small business owner, and the mother of five children.
