Release of Email Addresses by Marijuana Dispensary Being Investigated

The state’s Department of Public Health is investigating the release of an email by Alternative Therapies Group, which runs the state’s first medical marijuana dispensary in Salem, that exposed patient email addresses to a large group of people, according to a WCVB TV investigation.

According to the report, there were email addresses that should have been entered into the bcc, or blind carbon copy, field and were not.

A DPH spokesperson told WCVB that the DPH is investigating the possible violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA.

Alternative Therapy Group got the okay to start selling medical marijuana in Salem earlier this year.

The firm’s dispensary in Salem was the first to open in Massachusetts. The marijuana is being grown at an Amesbury facility.