Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
On Dec. 31, the Department of Public Health issued the state’s first Certificate of Registration to a registered marijuana dispensary under the medical marijuana law approved by voters in 2012.
The dispensary, run by Alternative Therapies Group, is now permitted to begin growing marijuana for medical use but must pass additional state inspections prior to selling marijuana to qualified patients or transporting marijuana.
The Alternative Therapies Group dispensary will be located in Salem and its cultivation facility in Amesbury.
In a statement, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said, “We have had a robust public conversation around medical marijuana in Salem – starting with the ballot question, which was overwhelmingly approved here, and all the way through last year’s City Council debate, Board of Appeals hearing, and neighborhood group meetings. Salem has long been a progressive, forward-thinking, and open-minded community and we look forward to ATG starting operation and providing yet another critical medical choice to patients for the entire North Shore.”
Prior to issuing the registration, DPH conducted site visits at ATG’s dispensary and cultivation sites to review the organization’s floor plans, security and cultivation operations to ensure product safety and quality; security, storage and transportation standards; and responsiveness to patient needs.
An additional 14 dispensaries are in the DPH’s inspectional phase and have not yet been granted Certificates of Registration.
The experience of other states that have implemented medical marijuana programs suggests that up to 2 percent of the population of Massachusetts would participate in the program.
The Massachusetts medical marijuana law authorized the licensing of up to 35 dispensaries in the first year of the program’s operation, with at least one, but no more than five, in each county. Additional dispensaries could be licensed by the DPH in subsequent years, based upon the needs of the state’s population.