Massachusetts may be getting some medical marijuana dispensers by this summer. State public health officials have officially awarded the first 20 licenses to operate medical marijuana dispensaries, according to SFGate. The announcement shows how the use of medical marijuana is becoming more widely accepted and approved of across the United States.
The recent licenses were issued to companies' dispensaries that are spread across 10 of the state's 14 counties, according to The Boston Globe. They include locations on Boylston Street in Boston, in Newton, Salem, Worcester and Cape Cod.
The applicants for the licenses were subject to background checks and screening for financial viability. They were then judged by a selection committee on factors including appropriateness of site, local support and the ability to meet the needs of their patients, according to SFGate.
This isn't the only area where medical marijuana is cropping up in recent months. Following the lead of other Oregon cities, Beaverton officials are also heading toward a decision on whether or not medical marijuana distributors will be present within city limits, according to The Oregonian. In 2013, Oregon passed legislation that authorized the distribution of medical marijuana through registered facilities.
The new Massachusetts facilities, though, reveal that other states are following Oregon. In the future, it's likely that more facilities will open up across the United States.
""Most likely between now and August we will be opening up maybe 24 to 26 dispensaries," said Karen van Unen, direct of the state's new medical marijuana program, in an interview with The Boston Globe.
Medical marijuana can help patients deal with painful symptoms. With that said, it should be noted that marijuana lacks the rigorous testing of drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Even so, it looks like many cities and states are legalizing marijuana across the country.
