Pennsylvania Officially 24th Medical Marijuana State

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The seeds for a medical marijuana industry in Pennsylvania have been planted.

On Sunday, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a measure legalizing medical marijuana, opening up what could become one of the biggest MMJ markets in the country.

The bill signing came after Pennsylvania lawmakers last week approved the measure following years of negotiations and delays that held up MMJ legalization.

The bill, while limited to non-smokable MMJ, spells out 17 qualifying conditions for patients, including severe pain.

Twenty-five grower licenses and 50 dispensary licenses initially will be allowed, with each dispensary permit allotted up to three different locations for a total of 150 storefronts.

The law goes into effect in one month.

Regulators could then take up to 18 months to draft regulations, given the intricacies of the rulemaking process. It could then be another several months before the state begins accepting applications – and likely at least two years from now before the first dispensaries open their doors.