A growing business

You’ve come a long way, cannabis. In 1936, the movie Reefer Madness frightened viewers with its fictional accounts of the perils of marijuana use. In the 1970s the comic tomfoolery of Cheech & Chong portrayed marijuana as a wild rollicking ride. And in recent decades, America has waged a “War On Drugs,” targeting marijuana in particular as a significant threat to the nation.

But that perception has changed, and continues to change. Dramatically. With the scientific consent of many in the medical community, medicinal and recreational uses of marijuana are flourishing. The industry is expanding exponentially as many citizens are enjoying the mental and physical benefits from this natural botanical source.

An example of this burgeoning economic and cultural growth is Coastal Healing, a locally owned and operated Westport marijuana dispensary located at 248 State Road (Route 6). Five years in the making, this dispensary opened its doors this past October with a newly designed and constructed facility aimed at producing the highest quality flower. Certified and regulated by the town of Westport and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Coastal Healing is owned and operated by David Bullis (an orthopedic surgeon) and Diego Bernal (a research scientist). But regardless of whether you rely on marijuana for its medical benefits or you enjoy it for private pleasure, the top priority for Coastal Healing is providing “the highest quality product.”

“We’re at the transition stage now,” Bernal says. “People are more informed and willing to try cannabis flower and other derived products. While Marijuana seaN is still a drug that needs to be respected, MCCarthy it is generally felt that Marijuana is safer than alcohol with much less physical and societal ‘side effects’ associated with it. For instance, you do not see people smoking it and getting into fights, something like you might have seen happen after an overindulgence with alcohol.”

Recently, the scientific community has begun to see the health benefits of marijuana.

“Marijuana is the future,” says Dr. Henry Crowley, an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist at Same Day Surgery of New England, located in Fall River. For a decade, Crowley has studied the effects of marijuana for the treatment of disease.

With the scientific consent of many in the medical community, medicinal and recreational uses of marijuana are flourishing.

“Marijuana is becoming more of a first-line choice for different types of pain syndromes and medical conditions, including cancer, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and seizure disorders,” Crowley says. “We’re at the early stages of acceptance here in our country. Countries like Israel have made amazing progress with medicinal marijuana. It’s compelling and convincing.”

Marijuana can be prescribed by a physician who will evaluate a patient’s condition and give them a medical card that they can take to a dispensary to purchase the product.

“Marijuana can be helpful for pain relief and can help get you away from opiates,” Bullis says. “Using a couple of gummies of cannabis instead of Vicodin or Percocet would be a big benefit to a lot of people. Marijuana may be an appetite stimulant for people on chemotherapy, and it could help you put on some weight.”

“In the chronic pain realm, I’d rather use cannabis than an opiate,” Crowley says.

purple haze

Next month, Coastal Healing will begin selling recreational marijuana in addition to medicinal products. They will offer multiple varieties of flower, also known as “buds,” as well as pre-rolled singles, also known as “joints.” They will be selling chocolate bars, gummies, peanut butter cups, and flavored seltzers, among other items.

“People will have different experiences from different products,” Bernal says. “Depending on how you ingest a product your body’s reaction will vary. You have to determine what is best for you. You can smoke it, eat it, or drink it.”

“If you’ve never tried marijuana before you should start slow,” Bullis says. “If you visit our store we will be able to educate you on the uses and effects of the products we offer. We want people to be informed.”

Coastal Healing also grows some of the products they provide, as well as wholesaling to other dispensaries in the state. The location took five years to be licensed, designed, and built.

“We took the slow, cautious route to creating our business – we didn’t just jump right into this,” Bernal says. “We built a high-tech facility that will have the best-controlled conditions for the plants. Our goal is to have a consistently high-quality product.”

Bullis and Bernal partnered with two local growers with vast experience in all types of growing environments. Dylan Morin and Alex DaCosta are Head Growers who have been experimenting with breeding different strains for decades and have brought their unique creations to Coastal Healing. Over the past two years they have helped with the construction of the facility, contributing their knowledge to ensure perfect growing conditions to optimize the health of the plants. Coastal Healings’ state-of-the-art grow facility has become a model facility from which other cultivation owners and builders can emulate.

Coastal Healing will finish their first grow around Christmas with approximately 12 different strains including both Indica and Sativa varieties. Some strains to look for in their first harvest include: Garlic Reaper, Wicked Lime, and Big Smooth.

For more information on marijuana, you can consult the website of the Cannabis Control Commission of Massachusetts at masscannabiscontrol.com.

Coastal Healing can be accessed at coastalhealingwestport.com.

Sean McCarthy has been a freelance journalist for 35 years. He lives in New Bedford.