1,500 Customers in 2 Months for First MA Dispensary

The first medical cannabis dispensary in Massachusetts has served as many patients in its first two months of operation as it originally expected to serve in its first year.

Alternative Therapies Group (ATG), which opened on June 24, served 1,500 customers in July and August, according to The Boston Globe. It has been the state’s only operating dispensary until today, when a second one opened, the Boston Business Journal reported.

Both dispensaries were granted special permission by the state to begin filling demand without meeting required testing standards, though other dispensaries in the future will have to meet those requirements before being allowed to sell MMJ.

A total of 15 dispensaries have thus far received provisional licenses.

Demand is obviously high: The Globe reported that more than 20,000 state residents have obtained a doctor’s certification for MMJ, and around 12,000 have finished state paperwork in order to purchase cannabis.

There are limits on how much patients can purchase from ATG and In Good Health, the second dispensary. Currently, patients can only buy 4.23 ounces every two months, but once testing standards are in place, that number will jump to 10 ounces every two months.

ATG will have a competitive advantage for the foreseeable future, as it can sell edibles, while In Good Health currently cannot.