Millerton dispensary faces further delays from state regulators

MILLERTON — Cannabis grower Douglas Broughton is still waiting on the Office of Cannabis Management to open his dispensary in Millerton.

His retail dispensary location at 32 Main St., in the former home of Demitasse and next door to what will soon be a Thai tea shop, has received site approval from the state’s cannabis regulation authority, but further approvals of the store’s interior and security systems are still pending.

“The next step is a walkthrough,” Broughton said, describing the lengthy process to attain approval for the retail element of his cannabis business from OCM.

Borughton first unveiled plans to open a dispensary in the shop in February of this year, originally aiming to open by mid-March.

Those hopes were soon dashed as March and April came and went, followed by May and June with no word from OCM regarding the status of his retail location.

Then, during a meeting of the state’s Cannabis Control Board in early July, regulators granted his license amendment that would allow him to move forward with the planned shop on Millerton’s Main Street.

Now, cannabis regulators are working through the final approval steps with Broughton. He said OCM officials needed to see certain documentation regarding the building’s legal occupancy status and verify the location’s security systems.

But that process was delayed by technical difficulties, Broughton said, when the OCM told him files he sent couldn’t be opened.

“They’re just nitpicking,” Broughton said. “I wasn’t annoyed until May.”

Among the additional requirements are verifications of his security system, the shop’s certificate of occupancy and connecting his point-of-sale system with his bank.

He said regulators require timestamped pictures from his security system and an additional third-party monitoring system — all of which he has submitted. The certificate of occupancy presents a different challenge, however, because the building his shop is in technically doesn’t have one. Instead, it has what’s known as a certificate of compliance because the building predates codes that require multiple exits for fire safety, he said. Broughton said he’s been advised that the document should satisfy OCM’s requirements, but he hasn’t received official word from the regulator yet.

He voiced frustration with the lengthy delays, acknowledging he expected the process to take between four to six months. As he stretches into the eighth month, however, the aggravation has grown.

“At this point it’s becoming a little insulting,” Broughton said.

Broughton said the interior space of the dispensary is nearing completion, including handcrafted cabinets and other furniture created by local woodworkers. A wooden sign currently hangs above the door at the Main Street location proclaiming it to be the home of Blackrabbit Farms.

Broughton offered an apology to locals over the delays, expressing disappointment that he missed out on opening the store earlier in the summer.

“I feel like I owe an apology to Millerton,” Broughton said. “I told them it was going to take a while, but I didn’t think eight months. This is becoming silly.”