Massachusetts medical cannabis inspections turn up dozens of violations

The Massachusetts Department of Health conducted 327 inspections of medical marijuana dispensaries since the first one opened in 2015 and found numerous violations.

The Springfield Republican newspaper obtained all the health department’s reports regarding the inspections, and several of the roughly 30 reports of violations contained multiple offenses.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Violations ranged from minor, where plants were thrown in a dumpster instead of being ground up, to major, where inspectors walked into facilities without being checked in or identified.
• Other violations included a lack of security cameras, generators that failed to work, faulty alarm systems, filling orders by phone when not required and improperly labeled plants.
• Inspectors also tested products and found contaminants that led to recalls.
• Two of the state’s first dispensaries – Alternative Therapies Group and New England Treatment Access – were inspected almost 60 times each.
• According to The Republican, some of the problems were remedied with new equipment, changes to policies or training.