Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program

The State of Pennsylvania's Act 16 created a medical marijuana program in Pennsylvania on April 16, 2016, taking effect a month later, on May 17, 2016. The Pennsylvania Department of Health is to craft temporary regulations within six months, so until then, related laws are not in place.

Patients who suffer from a qualifying condition and whose doctors recommend medical cannabis will be able to register with the State of Pennsylvania to use medical cannabis in any available form other than smoking (ointments, oils, creams, tinctures, and vaporizing - aka "dabbing" - are all allowed.) The health department is regulating 25 processors/growers, and 50 dispensaries, which may open up to three locations each, meaning a maximum of 150 dispensaries total. Out-of-state residents are not allowed to purchase medical marijuana in PA, even if they have a license from another state.

Qualifying medical conditions are as follows: Terminal illness (death expected within one year), cancer, HIV/AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease (aka IBS), neuropathies, Huntington’s disease, Crohn’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), intractable seizures, glaucoma, autism, sickle cell anemia, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, and severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin, or if conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or ineffective.

The information above was culled from the Marijuana Policy Project.

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