Update: Said Mayor Walsh’s press secretary, Kate Norton:

The Department of Public Health has taken the next step forward in the process of implementing the law. The City will work with our partners at the state level to ensure that any dispensary in Boston complies with all local regulations and guidelines.

Said Boston Redevelopment Authority director of communications, Nick Martin:

Dispensaries are a conditional use (meaning they have to get approval for a variance through the Zoning Board of Appeals). The exception is in residential districts, where they are forbidden.

Earlier: On Friday, November 7, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced that the City of Boston could possibly play host to a medical marijuana dispensary. Despite the fact that MassDPH allowed just 11 applicants to proceed to the current inspectional phase in the licensing process, they allowed for applicants whose counties are not included in the 11 able to apply for licensure as part of its Open County process. Suffolk County and the City of Boston is one of those.

According to the MassDPH, Patriot Care Corp. was approved as part of the Open County process, along with two more dispensaries in Bristol County and one in Franklin County, to proceed to the inspectional phase. If basic mathematics proves accurate, the Commonwealth could someday soon have a total of 15 medical marijuana dispensaries up and running in the near future.

“I am pleased with the steady progress we are making and expect the first dispensaries to open later this winter,” said Medical Use of Marijuana Program Executive Director Karen van Unen in a statement. “By expanding access into these additional counties, we are promoting our goals of patient access and public safety across the Commonwealth.”

At a press conference back in June, van Unen stated plainly that dispensaries could open their doors as early as November.

It’s important to note that this does not mean Boston will definitely be getting a dispensary. There are still multiple pieces that need to be put in place for this to become a reality.

First, Patriot Care Corp., which according to its application is eyeing 21 Milk Street as its dispensary location, must pass the inspectional phase to receive licensure. The City of Boston must also allow for Patriot Care Corp. to set up shop within city limits.

Patriot Care Corp. would host its cultivation and processing facilities in South Hadley, Mass. It should also be noted that Patriot Care Corp. checked the ‘no’ box on its application where it was asked for evidence of local support or non-opposition.

Mayor Marty Walsh has made it abundantly clear that while he personally does not support medical marijuana dispensaries in Boston, he will abide by the will of the public.

BostInno reached out to the Mayor’s office and was told he was at an event, but we’ll be sure to update this post with his thoughts upon his return.

At a Boston City Council hearing back in March, Council President Bill Linehan and several of his constituents proved open-minded to the notion of at least one dispensary in Boston, pending the right location and applicant.

A recent article by Dig Boston, however, states that the Boston Redevelopment Authority amended its zoning code to ban any dispensaries from opening up in an area zoned for residential use.

“As per the parameters, marijuana operation anyplace else in the city is considered a ‘conditional use,’ which is municipal jargon that means the government, and in theory the community, must approve the location,” wrote the Dig.

According to the Boston Redevelopment Authority, 21 Milk Street is zoned as the “Midtown Cultural District.” Residential use is permitted under this zoning rule, but the district is not solely residential. BostInno reached out to the BRA for confirmation on dispensary applicability and we’ll be sure to update the post as necessary.

Pending City Council and mayoral approval, and barring any zoning restrictions, Milk Street could become ground zero for the city’s potential medical marijuana industry.

To date, the Bay State has banked over $3 million in dispensary application fees throughout the entire process – one that allows for as many as 35 dispensaries to open up within the Commonwealth, no more than five per county.

Stay tuned to BostInno for more updates regarding the medical marijuana dispensary process