Two rural Nevada cities that missed an opportunity a few years ago could soon be getting medical marijuana dispensaries.

The Nevada Department of Taxation informed applicants in the cities of Fernley and West Wendover that they had been granted licenses to open a dispensary, according to lobbyist Nick Vander Poel, who represents Fernley. He said he expects the Fernley business, Silver State Relief, to open its doors in time for the Burning Man festival in late August.

Both are situated in counties that have moratoriums on marijuana businesses — Lyon County and Elko County. (Lyon County is considering lifting its ban.)

But a provision in a law passed in 2017 authorized one medical marijuana license for each incorporated city in counties with populations of less than 100,000. An application period for those rural counties opened in late November.

Lawmakers had initially offered medical marijuana establishment licenses to all counties in Nevada, but several rural counties didn’t apply and licenses were turned over to urban counties with more demand.

The cities stand to gain tax revenue from business license fees. That’s particularly needed in Fernley, which is the only Nevada city that has been excluded from a distribution formula for consolidated taxes (which includes sales tax) because it incorporated after the Legislature designed the formula. The arrangement means the city garners millions less a year than similarly sized cities.

Fernley has a population of nearly 20,000. West Wendover has a population of about 4,300, but is a popular destination for visitors from nearby Utah.