Millis Marijuana Shop Says Donation To Homeless Shelter Was Rejected

MILLIS (CBS) - It's not a new concept. A local business giving back to the community. But in Millis, one business ran into a roadblock when the intended recipient said thanks, but no thanks.

Ellen Rosenfeld is president of CommCan, a Millis marijuana dispensary that opened last November.

As part of the deal, CommCan is supposed to support local causes. Rosenfeld thought she found a good one.

"We linked up with a homeless shelter in a neighboring town and we were going to give them ten-percent of whatever we made selling accessories," Rosenfeld told WBZ-TV.

The check would have totaled just under $1,500, but then the day before the donation ceremony the phone rang.

"We got a phone call that they'd rather not take the donation and the reason was that their constituency had substance abuse issues and it was a bad look," Rosenfeld said.

Some others have said no as well, and it's happening to other dispensaries too. But some charities have accepted.

"We had a toy drive, we had a coat drive all the usual suspects," said Rosenfeld. "They were fine."

For now, Rosenfeld, and others at CommCan are hoping that attitudes change over time.