Pennsylvania: medical cannabis sales begin this week

After a two-year wait, the first medical cannabis dispensaries will open next Thursday, February 15, in Pennsylvania.

Although the The medical cannabis program was signed into law on April 17, 2016 Under Democratic Governor Tom Wolfe, the state took the time to ensure that the program would be rolled out under the right conditions and properly funded. Medical cannabis will be available to patients with one or more of the 17 qualifying conditions, including epilepsy, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain for which other treatments are ineffective.

«Pennsylvanians have been waiting for this moment for years,» Tom Wolfe wrote in a statement. «Medical cannabis is legal, safe, and now available to Pennsylvanians suffering from 17 serious medical conditions.".

»In less than two years, we have developed the regulatory framework, approved prescribing physicians, certified patients to participate, and launched a new industry that will help thousands of people relieve their debilitating symptoms."

Since the announcement of the program to medical marijuana, more than 17,000 patients have applied, and 4,000 have received their patient cards. As for doctors, nearly 400 have completed the training required to prescribe cannabis. To date, 10 dispensaries and 10 cultivation operations have been approved, but 40 additional dispensaries are expected to open by May.

Patients will not be able to purchase cannabis seeds or consume dried flowers, but they will be able to choose alternative methods of consumption, such as vaporizing concentrates, using oil cartridges for vaping, cannabis tinctures, or lotions.

To receive their patient card, patients must have their medical condition certified by a doctor in order to purchase their identification card from the State of Pennsylvania for 50$.

Pennsylvania has historically been a state that grows industrial hemp. However, its cultivation was banned under the Marihuana Act until last year, when hemp made a strong comeback in the state, which aims to once again become the largest hemp producer in the United States.