PAWTUCKET – Avoiding a $10,000-per-day fine for advertising along the highway, owners of the Mother Earth Wellness marijuana dispensary on Esten Avenue pulled down their ads on I-95 Monday morning.
Mother Earth owner Joe Pakuris, who opened the dispensary with Eddie Keegan a year ago, told The Breeze he believes state officials are refusing to remove a prohibition on public advertising by in-state marijuana sellers because they know the advertising power he holds for his own business along the highway.
“I feel like it’s a personal attack on me because they know I have these boards,” he said, adding that he has five total billboards on I-95. He had intended to add advertising for Mother Earth on all five billboards, but had only gotten to three, including the one next to his business, which abuts the highway, he said.
The Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, in a May 19 written warning, reminded Mother Earth owners that the regulatory framework governing hybrid cannabis sales and medical marijuana sales prohibits sellers from advertising to the public.
“The billboards are in full view of the unrestricted public masses of interstate and intrastate motorists that use I-95 daily,” stated the letter.
It adds that in no way is the billboard “merely a ‘location designation sign’ on par with the size and content of a small directional lawn sign,” as an attorney had stated.
Failure to remove the ads by May 22 at 9 a.m. would result in immediate enforcement action, including $10,000-a-day fines and potential loss of license.
Pakuris said he’s very upset that “we’re here trying to do business in a state and we’re being over-regulated.”
“It makes no sense what they’re doing,” he said.
Pakuris said this situation could have been fixed months ago, and he plans to continue asking why it hasn’t been resolved. Cultivators and license holders deserve answers on why in-state companies aren’t allowed to advertise publicly, said Pakuris, adding that he’s asked for a meeting with the Department of Business Regulation to learn why he’s allowed to sell a Massachusetts-based dispensary advertising on his own billboards while he can’t use them himself.
“It makes no sense that this is so easy to fix and they don’t do it,” he said.
He said ultimately he wasn’t willing to risk having his license suspended or having to lay off any of the 90 people who are working in the marijuana business.
Marijuana is the literally the least of anyone’s problems.
Have you ever heard of a domestic assault because someone was too high?
Have you ever heard of marijuana being the reason for a divorce or estrangement from one’s family?
Have you ever heard of a fist fight because people were too high and rowdy.
I bet not- but I can guarantee everyone’s lives has been affected in some way by an alcoholic.
Instead of worrying about a billboard why don’t we focus on helping our alcoholics get help. I can guarantee the rate of divorce, traffic accidents and domestic assaults will drop dramatically if people can get the help they need.
Yeah, but the do-nothing governor sat on his hands when he was supposed to be appointing member to the cannabis commission to regulate (and likely allow) such advertising. How long are these business owners, including the owners of the other dispensaries, supposed to wait before the governor actually does his job? And then to have DBR threaten these businessmen with $10,000 per day fines? Time to rename them the Department of Business Ruination. And time to rename McKee ex-governor.
Imagine living in a state that allows other states to advertise their businesses, but then threatens it's own residents when they do the same. The Governor has dragged his feet on the creation of his board of overseers and this is now the result. This has to be one of the most shameful things I have seen when it comes to the state being business friendly. This state is actively and literally visably suppressing our small businesses while promoting out of state businesses.
Any legal business should be able to advertise. You may not get any benefit from a dispensary, but perhaps some of the other million residents in RI do.
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Marijuana is the literally the least of anyone’s problems.
Have you ever heard of a domestic assault because someone was too high?
Have you ever heard of marijuana being the reason for a divorce or estrangement from one’s family?
Have you ever heard of a fist fight because people were too high and rowdy.
I bet not- but I can guarantee everyone’s lives has been affected in some way by an alcoholic.
Instead of worrying about a billboard why don’t we focus on helping our alcoholics get help. I can guarantee the rate of divorce, traffic accidents and domestic assaults will drop dramatically if people can get the help they need.
“It makes no sense that this is so easy to fix and they don’t do it,” he said.
The "easy fix" is to disallow all pot shop billboards in Rhode Island. It's what best for the community.
So glad we have you as the chair of the "What's good for our community" committee.
Pot shop?
The rules were in place when the pot shop opened, right? It's not like the rules changed. The owners opened the shop knowing the rules.
Yeah, but the do-nothing governor sat on his hands when he was supposed to be appointing member to the cannabis commission to regulate (and likely allow) such advertising. How long are these business owners, including the owners of the other dispensaries, supposed to wait before the governor actually does his job? And then to have DBR threaten these businessmen with $10,000 per day fines? Time to rename them the Department of Business Ruination. And time to rename McKee ex-governor.
Imagine living in a state that allows other states to advertise their businesses, but then threatens it's own residents when they do the same. The Governor has dragged his feet on the creation of his board of overseers and this is now the result. This has to be one of the most shameful things I have seen when it comes to the state being business friendly. This state is actively and literally visably suppressing our small businesses while promoting out of state businesses.
The answer is to block all advertising of pot shops. Why do we have to live like this -- surrounded by billboards for pot shops?
Any legal business should be able to advertise. You may not get any benefit from a dispensary, but perhaps some of the other million residents in RI do.
@CumberlandKraken Because of that pesky 1st Ammendment, mostly. I prefer the pot billboards over the ambulance chasers.
I'd rather dispensary advertisements than religious advertisements.
More complete stupidity from our leaders. Welcome to RI
The no plan leader at the top doing their best work as usual !
Welcome to the discussion.
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Comments that will be deleted include:
- Those that include threatening, derogatory, obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist, sexist or sexually-oriented language.
This includes any name-calling/nicknames of people both on the local and national level.
- Those with accusations or allegations that can’t be proven, or that try to build a negative narrative about one person or entity
over time through a clearly coordinated campaign. If you believe the backstory really needs to be shared,
send us a letter to the editor or a story pitch with your name and contact information.
- Those with outright lies or falsehoods.
Please use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know if you believe a comment was allowed in error.What we at The Breeze would truly like to see are comments that add history and context to a story or that use criticism constructively.