Vets, Cancer Patients 'Undesirable,' Man Says At Pot Meeting

BOSTON, MA – A Boston man who made shocking comments in apparent opposition to a medical marijuana dispensary in Back Bay said his speech was meant in jest. Oliver Curme, who counted veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, cancer patients and people with multiple sclerosis among his "undesirable elements," said he actually supports bringing a dispensary to the posh Boston neighborhood.

"It was a caricature," Curme told NBC Boston. "It was satire."

Curme, who spoke at a Tuesday zoning board hearing, said his performance was so over the top he thought people would understand he was mocking the project's dissenters. His controversial comments included saying veterans with PTSD should "get over it" and describing breast cancer patients as "cadaverous."

At several points in his remarks, board members can be heard saying "thank you," ostensibly to encourage him to sit back down. One board member told Curme, "We got your message loud and clear."

Mike Ross, the lawyer representing the dispensary, told the Boston Globe he had "never in my life heard anything so appalling."

Curme, a retired venture capitalist, said in an interview with NBC that he wanted to highlight how many people the dispensary could help.

"The point that I was trying to make is a marijuana dispensary is going to bring in people who really need this – people who are sick, people who have cancer or some other thing, and this is the only choice for them," he told the network.

The zoning board unanimously voted to approve the dispensary proposal.

Watch Curme's remarks below (starts at 46-minute mark):

Subscribe to Back Bay Patch for more local news and real-time alerts

Image via Shutterstock

Reporting from The Associated Press was used in this report