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Medical marijuana dispensary proposals are moving ahead in Fairhaven, Taunton, Boston and Greenfield. The Department of Public Health announced Friday, Nov. 7, that it has provisionally approved applications from Coastal Compassion, Mass Medicum Inc. and Patriot Care Corp. They join the 11 dispensaries approved earlier this year. "We're very excited about moving this program forward, providing safe access to patients who can benefit from access to cannabis," said Tim Keough, president of Coastal Compassion, which will see its proposed Fairhaven dispensary advance.
Coastal Compassion, Mass Medicum and Patriot Care were passed over for their first-choice sites in February, but they earned high enough marks in the evaluation process that the Department of Public Health invited them to submit new applications in counties that did not yet have a provisionally licensed dispensary.
Mass Medicum's original application for a Holbrook dispensary wasn't picked, but its new application for a dispensary in Taunton is progressing. CEO James Kurnick said the company still plans to operate its marijuana cultivation center in Holbrook. Patriot Care Corp. now has provisional approval for three dispensaries.
"We originally had applications for Worcester, Northampton and Lowell," Patriot Care Corp. Vice President Dennis Kunian said. "We got Lowell, but did not get Worcester and Northampton. We then had an opportunity for two more licenses." When Patriot Care submitted new applications for dispensaries in Boston and Greenfield, the DPH selected both. A cultivation center in South Hadley will supply all its dispensaries.
Coastal Compassion originally sought a dispensary license in New Bedford, but didn't make the cut the first time around. Bristol County opened up in June, however, when the DPH disqualified two previously approved applicants: Medical Marijuana of Massachusetts and Compassionate Care Clinic. Both have appealed the DPH's decision.
After Medical Marijuana of Massachusetts' Taunton dispensary and Compassionate Care Clinic's Fairhaven facility were thrown out, Coastal Compassion submitted a new application for a dispensary in Fairhaven. "Over the next several months, we will work on design and permitting," Keough said. "We'll be opening in fall of 2015 if all goes according to plan." Kurnick expects to open in Taunton in about nine months, barring any unforeseen roadblocks. Kunian hesitated to predict the timeline for Patriot Care Corp.
JCS Holdings, which sought a license for a dispensary in either Boston or Taunton, was the only applicant that wasn't selected in the open-county process. JCS will be eligible to apply again in the future. The law allows for 35 dispensaries statewide. After initially selecting 20 applicants in February, the DPH conducted a new review and eliminated nine in June.
Voters approved medical marijuana in 2012. The first dispensaries are now expected to open in early 2015 after a series of delays in the licensure and application process. "I am pleased with the steady progress we are making and expect the first dispensaries to open later this winter," Medical Use of Marijuana Program Executive Director Karen van Unen said in a statement. "By expanding access into these additional counties, we are promoting our goals of patient access and public safety across the Commonwealth."
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Brookline.wickedlocal.com
Author: Gerry Tuoti
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Medical pot applications advance in four cities - News - Brookline TAB - Brookline, MA
Coastal Compassion, Mass Medicum and Patriot Care were passed over for their first-choice sites in February, but they earned high enough marks in the evaluation process that the Department of Public Health invited them to submit new applications in counties that did not yet have a provisionally licensed dispensary.
Mass Medicum's original application for a Holbrook dispensary wasn't picked, but its new application for a dispensary in Taunton is progressing. CEO James Kurnick said the company still plans to operate its marijuana cultivation center in Holbrook. Patriot Care Corp. now has provisional approval for three dispensaries.
"We originally had applications for Worcester, Northampton and Lowell," Patriot Care Corp. Vice President Dennis Kunian said. "We got Lowell, but did not get Worcester and Northampton. We then had an opportunity for two more licenses." When Patriot Care submitted new applications for dispensaries in Boston and Greenfield, the DPH selected both. A cultivation center in South Hadley will supply all its dispensaries.
Coastal Compassion originally sought a dispensary license in New Bedford, but didn't make the cut the first time around. Bristol County opened up in June, however, when the DPH disqualified two previously approved applicants: Medical Marijuana of Massachusetts and Compassionate Care Clinic. Both have appealed the DPH's decision.
After Medical Marijuana of Massachusetts' Taunton dispensary and Compassionate Care Clinic's Fairhaven facility were thrown out, Coastal Compassion submitted a new application for a dispensary in Fairhaven. "Over the next several months, we will work on design and permitting," Keough said. "We'll be opening in fall of 2015 if all goes according to plan." Kurnick expects to open in Taunton in about nine months, barring any unforeseen roadblocks. Kunian hesitated to predict the timeline for Patriot Care Corp.
JCS Holdings, which sought a license for a dispensary in either Boston or Taunton, was the only applicant that wasn't selected in the open-county process. JCS will be eligible to apply again in the future. The law allows for 35 dispensaries statewide. After initially selecting 20 applicants in February, the DPH conducted a new review and eliminated nine in June.
Voters approved medical marijuana in 2012. The first dispensaries are now expected to open in early 2015 after a series of delays in the licensure and application process. "I am pleased with the steady progress we are making and expect the first dispensaries to open later this winter," Medical Use of Marijuana Program Executive Director Karen van Unen said in a statement. "By expanding access into these additional counties, we are promoting our goals of patient access and public safety across the Commonwealth."
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Brookline.wickedlocal.com
Author: Gerry Tuoti
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Medical pot applications advance in four cities - News - Brookline TAB - Brookline, MA
