158 Mass. Medical Pot Dispensaries Clear First Hurdle

Working on getting licenses to legally operate

BOSTON—One-hundred-fifty-eight of the 181 businesses seeking licenses to open a medical-marijuana dispensary have cleared the first major hurdle, qualifying to move on to the second round in the license-application process.

On Monday, the state Department of Public Health released a list of the dispensary-license applicants that qualify for the next phase in the selection process. On Aug. 22, the state received 181 applications. It plans to grant up to 35 licenses statewide, or up to five licenses per county.