Boston’s first medical marijuana dispensary is slated for 21 Milk Street. The state announced on Friday that four proposed dispensaries had cleared a crucial regulatory hurdle.
Among them was Patriot Care Corp.’s planned operation in the heart of the city’s Financial District. The other proposals approved to the state’s so-called inspection phase, include dispensaries in Fairhaven, Taunton and Greenfield. Those approvals bring the total number of medical marijuana dispensaries on tap in the state to 15. The approval process for the dispensaries has drawn the ire of medical marijuana activists, who have criticized the state for dragging its feet in the implementation of a law that voters approved two years ago. Under current regulations, the state can grant licenses for up to 35 dispensaries. “I am pleased with the steady progress we are making and expect the first dispensaries to open later this winter,” said Medical Use of Marijuana Program Executive Director Karen van Unen through a statement. “By expanding access into these additional counties, we are promoting our goals of patient access and public safety across the Commonwealth.” The Milk Street location still has to clear several local regulatory hurdles, meaning the location will not likely open until next year or 2016.
Milk Street to be home to Boston’s first medical marijuana dispensary
Nicolaus Czarnecki/Metro
