Now that the second phase of the Massachusetts medical marijuana application has come to a close, the Department of Public Health has released the names of the organizations vying for a license, their respective CEOs, the town in which they hope to establish a dispensary, and the county. Rules state that there can be no more than five per county, but it may surprise you as to which counties supplied the most applicants.
At first thought, I’d have guessed that liberal-minded Western Massachusetts would’ve produced the most organizations looking to open a dispensary, but, as it turns out, that distinction goes to Middlesex County. It’s no surprise, really, seeing as how Middlesex – per the most recent U.S. census data – is the third wealthiest Massachusetts county in terms of per capita income, as well as the single most populated.
Money goes a long way in this game. Simply to be considered for the first round of the application process, candidates had to cough up a hefty and nonrefundable $1,500. If they didn’t make it, there’s, for some, a month’s worth of rent out the window. The second phase of the application came with a fee of $30,000, also nonrefundable. And, should any of the 100 phase two applicants make the cut of 35 dispensary roster spots, it’ll cost an annual fee of $50,000. Keep in mind, too, that in order to be considered for the second phase, applicants had to prove they had $500,000 on hand, to cover various start up costs.
The county with the second most amount of nonprofits seeking a license was Worcester County with 14 (surprisingly ninth in terms of wealthiest but second in population), followed by Norfolk County with ten (second and fifth, respectively), Suffolk County with nine (eighth and fourth, respectively), Plymouth County with eight (sixth and seventh, respectively), and seven apiece for Essex and Bristol Counties (fifth and third, and twelfth and sixth, respectively).
Aside from Nantucket County, which houses just the island of Nantucket and the considerably smaller islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, which saw just one applicant, Western Mass.’s Franklin County had the least number of applicants, with just three.
When it comes to individuals, the market becomes much more exclusive. 33 percent of the applications come from just 13 different people, most notably William D. Delahunt, former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts’ 10th district, who’s seeking three applications.
Below are the names, organizations, and desired locations of all 100 possible dispensaries.
Phase 2 Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Dispensary Applicants
[Image via The Compassion Chronicles]
