PA Dispensaries

On January 20, 2015, the first steps toward a workable medical marijuana program were being taken when Constable Ed Quiggle Jr. signed the Compassionate Medical Cannabis Reform Resolution. According to Wikipedia, the act represented a policy of tolerance and called for an end to stringent regulations that “prohibit, penalize, or criminalize the possession, cultivation, or use of medical cannabis, hemp, cannabinoids, and other illegal or experimental drugs, becoming the first law enforcement agency in Pennsylvania, and perhaps the first in the United States, to enact such a policy.”

In April of 2016, Pennsylvania became the 24th state to legalize medical marijuana with the implementation of Senate Bill 3. The new law opened the doors to production, processing, and, most importantly, the sale of medical marijuana specifically for patients suffering from one of 17 qualifying conditions.

On February 15, 2018, less than two years after the governor signed Act 16 into law, medical marijuana dispensaries opened their doors to patients and their caregivers. At the time, Pennsylvania was expected to become one of the biggest medical marijuana markets in the U.S.

Initially, the sale of dried cannabis flower was prohibited but that law was eventually overturned. However, only vaping of the product was legalized.

On May 12, 2018, the Health Department published a revision of the regulations, adding some much-needed improvements to the medical cannabis program. The revision effectively expanded the qualifying conditions to include medical marijuana as a viable substitute therapy for opiate addiction. 

Since February of 2018, patients with a Pennsylvania medical marijuana card have spent more than $1.1 billion at Pennsylvania dispensaries.