Massachusetts officials have granted the state’s first medical cannabis cultivation certificate of registration to a Salem company, advancing a licensing process that has been fraught with errors and delays.
Alternative Therapies Group has entered the inspection phase of the growth process, which allows public health officials to drop in and ensure everything is compliant with state laws, and can now begin to cultivate medical cannabis at its Amesbury facility, according to the Globe.
The company is subject to inspections of its facilities and testing of plants once they’re grown. ATG also will pay $25,000 each year to the city and a minimum of $5,000 to Amesbury charities, according to The Daily News of Newburyport.
Implementation of the state’s medical marijuana program has been rocky since its start. A recent Boston Globe study showed that contractors hired to vet growers and dispensaries ran out of time to thoroughly conduct background checks, which led to delays issuing licenses to qualified businesses.
