LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A Boston-based consultant has signed an agreement with Arkansas to grade the more than 200 applications for the state’s first med...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A Boston-based consultant has signed an agreement with Arkansas to grade the more than 200 applications for the state’s first medical marijuana dispensary licenses.

A Department of Finance and Administration spokesman says Public Consulting Group on Thursday signed the agreement to score dispensary applications. The consulting firm was picked last month after it submitted a price of about $99,500 to review and score the applications.

The department says a meeting will be scheduled soon for the Medical Marijuana Commission and Public Consulting Group to discuss the scoring process. At the end of the meeting, 203 dispensary applications will be provided to the company to score.