Pennsylvania to Begin Medical Marijuana Permit Process

Pennsylvania will soon begin accepting applications for medical marijuana grower/processors and dispensaries.

Secretary of Health Dr. Karen Murphy announced Wednesday that permit applications will be made available online at health.pa.gov beginning Jan. 17 and will be accepted from Feb. 27 until March 20. The department’s goal is to have the medical marijuana program fully implemented in 2018.

The state will be divided into six medical marijuana regions with designated maximum numbers of growers and dispensers in each region. In all, during what Murphy called ‘the first phase of the program,’ up to 12 permits will be issued for grower/processors and up to 27 for dispensaries.

Centre County is part of Region 4-Northcentral, along with Bradford, Clinton, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Tioga and Union counties. The Northcentral region will be issued two dispensary permits and two grower/processor permits. The holder of a dispensary permit can open up to three locations.

Murphy said the decision on how permits would be distributed in the first phase is based on health department medical data, ‘as well as comments from more than 5,000 patients and nearly 900 potential grower/processors and dispensary applicants.”

The Southeast Region, which includes Philadelphia, will receive the most dispensary permits with 10. Each region will be issued no more than two grower/processor permits.

Ultimately, the law will allow for up 25 grower/processors and 50 dispensaries

Act 16, which established the medical marijuana program, was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf in May. It will allow for the use of medical marijuana to treat 17 serious medical conditions. The law does not permit smoking dry leaf marijuana for medical purposes — instead, it will be prescribed as a pill, oil, topical gel or cream, liquid or in a form (other than plant) to be used in vaporization or nebulization.

To apply for a permit as  grower/processor, applicants are required to submit an initial non-refundable fee of $10,000; a permit fee of $200,000, which is refundable if the permit is not granted; and proof of $2 million in capital, $500,000 of which must be on deposit in a financial institution.

Dispensary applicants must provide an initial $5,000 non-refundable fee; a permit fee of $30,000 that will be refunded of the permit isn’t granted;and proof of $150,000 in capital

Applicants for either grower/processor permits or dispensary permits also must provide federal and state criminal background checks; a statement of good moral character; information on how they will maintain security and control; and a diversity plan. They also must participate in a two-hour training course.

Once approved, both grower/processors and dispensaries will be subject to strict rules including required electronic tracking of inventory connected to a a Department of Health database that will track product from the time it is grown to when it is sold to a patient or caregiver.