The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced changes to the Commonwealth’s Medical Marijuana Dispensary program in a Wednesday press release, including the requirement for all patients to obtain an electronic certification from a physician and register for the Medical Use of Marijuana Program.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced changes to the state’s Medical Marijuana Dispensary program Wednesday, which will license Registered Marijuana Dispensaries similar to the licensing of other healthcare facilities. 

Additionally, the release stated, this new process will grant licenses to registered marijuana dispensaries similarly to the way in which they grant licenses to pharmacies.

The new application process will be instated on May 15 and will rely on a rolling basis to ensure higher expectations for patients, the release stated. The old process, which was originally authorized in 2012, caused delays in dispensaries and inconvenienced patients in need.

Scott Zoback, spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of...