Resinate makes its case for retail marijuana in Grafton

Peter DeCaro, CEO of Resinate, sees his company as the clear leader in the race to get a retail marijuana store in Grafton.

His company, after all, is already in business with the state Cannabis Control Commission. It has a cultivation and manufacturing site in Douglas. It has provisional certificates of registration with the state for retail cannabis in Worcester and Northampton and prides itself on its premium products, which include gourmet chocolates, dummies, and other edibles, as well as oils and cannabis flower.

DeCaro laid out Resinate’s plans at a lightly attended community outreach meeting Wednesday, with only Planning Board member Bob Hassinger and former Selectman Bruce Spinney, who is also in the process to obtain certification from the state for his own business, Noble Manna, Inc., in attendance.

The store would be located in 3,000 square feet of space inside 135 Westboro Road in North Grafton, beside Pecorino and near the Grafton commuter rail station.

“I’m a local guy,” said DeCaro, a Millbury resident. “Being a good neighbor is important, I can’t show up in places if I’m not doing the best job I can.”

A big part of that? Security. Cameras. Identification is checked at the door, with no one under the age of 21 allowed inside. No loitering is allowed outside, the better to prevent products being passed to underaged buyers.

“All of our advertising is targeting the over 21 and, I’d say, probably even over,” he said. No cartoon characters or colorful designs are used on the packaging or advertising, down to the unmarked bags customers carry from the store.

With multiple shops, all of Resinate’s products are packaged at the Douglas facility. No unpackaged marijuana will be sold, which should resolve any issues with smell.

And while the traffic issues at the opening of Cultivate in Leicester made headlines, DeCaro predicted Grafton’s store won’t be as big a draw — after all, it may potentially be the first store in Grafton, but it will not be the first in the state. He said the company would still work with Grafton Police to mitigate any potential traffic issues.

Resinate will be submitting its paperwork to the Cannabis Control Commission and DeCaro expects the store may be ready within six months.