LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas has chosen a Boston-based consultant to grade the more than 200 applications for the state's first medical marijuana dispensary licenses.

Public Consulting Group Inc. was one of just two companies to respond to the state's request issued to 30 companies that could grade the cannabis-vending proposals. The request required any consultant to ensure it had no conflicts of interest with any dispensary company stockholders, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission decided to outsource dispensary license scoring to a third-pa...