Former New England Patriot Eric Martin speaks at opening of Northampton’s newest cannabis dispensary Trulieve, lets mayor try on his Super Bowl ring

Smiling widely next to Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz at the opening of the small Pioneer Valley city’s newest cannabis dispensary Thursday was former New England Patriots defensive end Eric Martin.

The former NFL player, a Super Bowl XLIX champion, has worked as an advocate for marijuana since retiring from professional football in 2018 at age 26 due to several consecutive concussions suffered over the course of his career. Cannabis helped relieve his symptoms, he said in 2019.

Narkewicz posed for a photograph alongside Martin after the ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening of the medical and recreational dispensary at 216 North King St. The event was well-attended, with a long line of customers waiting outside to check out the new shop, the mayor noted. The football player also spoke about his positive experiences with the drug inside the new store.

“That was an added bonus,” Narkewicz said about Martin attending the event. “He’s become an advocate for cannabis reform. His story: He suffered multiple concussions as an NFL player and wound up retiring early from the sport. For him, cannabis has really been life-changing for finding both physical and mental relief.”

Concussions are commonplace for football players, causing long-lasting pain, drowsiness, nausea, memory loss, loss of consciousness and a slew of other symptoms. Frequently, NFL doctors prescribe athletes opioids. However, many advocates and researchers believe cannabis can serve as an effective, nonaddictive alternative, helping to relieve pain and repair the brain following a traumatic injury.

The mayor pointed out that Martin has become an advocate for cannabis both in a general sense and, more specifically, for professional athletes as a form of pain relief and medicine.

In an interview with MassLive two years ago, Martin described how as he got older and his body started to take more punishment from the sport, he began to understand what cannabis could do for him.

“I noticed eating edibles was one of the best feelings for my concussions, because I was suffering from a lot of symptoms — sensitivity to light, noise, just a lot of different stuff,” Martin said, adding that he soon learned he had a platform to talk about his story and how cannabis benefitted him. “That’s kind of where my advocacy started — realizing it was a healer, not what people think it is.”

“That’s my ultimate goal: Let people know my story and how it helped me and how it can help other people,” he added.

For Narkewicz, meeting Martin was a pleasure that left him starstruck, especially when the football player let him try on the championship ring he earned in 2015 after the Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks 28 to 24 at the Super Bowl.

“I looked a little gobsmacked, because a moment before the picture, he took off his Super Bowl ring and gave it to me to look at,” Narkewicz said. “I got to wear it for a few minutes.”

Trulieve, a leading cannabis company based in Florida that operates dispensaries across the United States, announced last week that the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission had approved the launch of its operations in the Bay State.

The dispensary will be served by a 40,000-square-foot cannabis cultivation and processing facility in Holyoke. Together, the Northampton and Holyoke facilities are expected to employ 250 to 300 workers, according to a statement from Trulieve.

The shop in Northampton is easily accessible from Interstate 91, Trulieve noted, and will serve both adult-use customers and medical marijuana patients. The store’s operating hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m

At the grand opening of the dispensary, Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers said the company’s “so happy” to be operating in Northampton now, noting it has been a long time coming.

“I remember driving by this location — I think it was like two years ago — so the fact that we are here and we are open, we are thrilled,” she said.

Already in Massachusetts, Trulieve has worked in partnership with CultivatED and Minorities 4 Medical Marijuana to sponsor expungement clinics this and last year, providing opportunities to those impacted by a history of disproportionate and unfair enforcement of drug laws, the company noted.

The company also supports Holyoke Community College’s Center for Cannabis Education, assisting with job training as well as additional economic development initiatives, according to Trulieve.

“As the first adult-use market on the East Coast, Massachusetts is a leader in the cannabis industry and we are excited to open our doors here,” Rivers said in a statment. “Customers and patients at Trulieve Northampton can expect the same high-quality products and customer-first mindset that has built a loyal following for Trulieve in other markets. Our staff is well-trained, educated and ready to serve the greater Northampton area, and we look forward to bringing our brand to other locations throughout the state.”

The opening of the Trulieve facility marks the fifth dispensary in Northampton. Narkewicz said the city has taken a welcoming, progressive approach to the industry, which has provided millions of dollars in tax revenue and hundreds of jobs.

In January, the mayor announced he would be waiving the 3% community impact fee for cannabis businesses. He has previously explained that the Northampton has had ample experience with the industry and understands how it operates.

“It’s great to see people flocking to Northampton, not just retailers, but manufacturers,” Narkewicz told MassLive on Friday.

Narkewicz pointed out the fact that the Northampton dispensary and Holyoke cultivation site will create “upward of 200 good-paying jobs in the Valley.”

“That’s a significant boost for our local economy and job markets,” he said. “The only problem people could cite is the increase in traffic of visitors and cars coming from out of town.”

The money Northampton gets from cannabis sales has another positive impact, Narkewicz noted: diversifying the city’s revenue stream.

“One of the challenges for cities and towns is that we rely so heavily on property taxes. With these new local excise taxes on cannabis sales, it’s an additional revenue stream, and it’s helping relieve the burden on property owners,” he said.

When asked about some residents’ frustrations with the increase in the number of cannabis dispensaries in Northampton, Narkewicz said he tries to provide perspective about the industry, particularly in comparison to businesses that sell alcohol, a far more lethal product.

“If you look at the host community agreements with cannabis adult-use or medical retailers, we have 13 total. By comparison, Northampton has 17 liquor stores licensed by the state,” Narkewicz explained. “I’ve never heard anyone tell me we have too many liquor stores in Northampton, yet alcohol’s one of the leading causes of death in the United States.”

“It’s all part of the process of people coming to understand cannabis and the normalization process. I understand the concern. But I think the market’s going to determine the number of dispensaries needed,” the mayor added. “We don’t regulate the number of ice cream shops, sushi restaurants or coffee shops, so why would we do that for cannabis? There’s an inherent double-standard for the industry. I think it’s part of the process of normalizing the legal industry.”

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