NAME: Jeffrey Shaheen and Sean Power
AGE: 49 and 47
HOMETOWN: Hull and Scituate, respectively. Both now live in Hull.
IN THE NEWS: The business partners have made headlines for their proposal to open a medical marijuana facility at the vacant Atlantic Aquarium on Nantasket Avenue.
NOW YOU KNOW: Both enjoy surfing the waves in Hull.
THEIR STORY: Sean Power met Jeffrey Shaheen when he moved to Hull last summer after Shaheen’s wife, a realtor, helped him find his home. It was a chance meeting that has led to a business collaboration aiming to establish a medical marijuana facility in Hull.
Power calls himself a tech entrepreneur with a background in health care start-ups. Shaheen, a lifelong resident of Hull, has served as the union representative at Fenway Park for the last 15 years and has always been passionate about medical cannabis, saying it’s been a “lifesaver” for some people.
Shaheen wanted to do something with the vacant building for nearly two decades, but when medical marijuana shops first opened in Massachusetts in 2018, he says it “really set the wheels in motion” for bringing one to Hull.
“I’ve looked at (the vacant building) for decades… I can see it out most of my windows. And for it to not be developed, especially now when we’re facing these (economic) challenges, we just couldn’t sit back and let that happen,” he said.
The two formed their business Latitude 42 Therapeutics, named after the location of Hull, which lies on the 42nd parallel. Earlier this month, they formally introduced their plans during a board of selectmen meeting. Their proposal: a “seed to sale” facility that will both grow and sell medicinal marijuana to state-registered patients.
They’d like to grow the product, not just sell it, in order to control its quality and the experience customers have with it.
With regards to impact on the environs, they plan to “reuse” the building instead of knocking it down, and to recycle 97 percent of the thousands of gallons of water they expect to use each week.
For them, the business isn’t about making a “quick buck,” it’s about improving and bringing revenue to the community they love, they say. According to their analysis, a host community agreement could give $1.5 million to Hull over three years. They also plan to invest in community education programs about addiction and drug use, as well as hire locally for all phases of the project, from construction to staffing.
Power has Parkinson’s disease and says he understands the needs people with chronic health conditions have, the primary often being pain management. With opioids being a significant issue with drug abuse and deaths, Power and Shaheen strongly believe medical marijuana is a healthy alternative.
“More often that not, I hear a story of someone who used (cannabis) to sleep through the night or for arthritis,” said Power.
One study shows states with medical marijuana laws had lower opioid prescribing rates among Medicaid enrollees by the magnitude of millions fewer opiate prescriptions written. An earlier study also shows states with medical marijuana laws had lower annual opioid overdose deaths.
During the first meeting with the town to discuss the proposal, locals voiced their opinions.
“A lot of feedback we’ve heard to date and quite honestly a lot of the concern I share with the residents and businesses in that area is, regardless of how one feels about the industry, is that the appropriate location for the proposal? Does it fit into the character of the neighborhood?” said Jennifer Berardi-Constable, chair of the board of selectmen.
Other concerns regard traffic and odor caused by and emanating from the facility, according to the board, and whether there is a need for a second medical marijuana facility in Hull. However, Power and Shaheen maintain many of the people with whom they’ve spoken have expressed support. An online petition they created has received over 2,500 signatures as of Thursday.
“We’re trying to be kind and open as an approach to how we provide information to people,” said Power. “We’re more than happy to discuss concerns that neighbors have and address them in any way possible. Jeff and I want to be open and transparent about everything.”
A second meeting with the board was originally scheduled for July 22, but was postponed to another date that has yet to be determined. If the board approves the host community agreement, the next step would be acquiring a special permit.
Residents can submit comments for future meetings ahead of time to Nancy Allen at nallen@town.hull.ma.us.
Reporter Anastasia E. Lennon can be reached at alennon@patriotledger.com.
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