PA licenses 13 medical marijuana grower/processors; flower sales set

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Pennsylvania regulators announced the second round of winners of medical marijuana grower/processor licenses, selecting 13 companies and further expanding what is poised to become one of the largest MMJ industries in the nation.

Phase 2 of the licensing process – coming a little more than a year after the first phase – is intended to bring the total number of growers to 25 and dispensary operators to 50, the maximum allowed under Pennsylvania’s 2016 MMJ law.

Each dispensary operator is allowed to open three storefronts.

In a related development, a dozen dispensaries Wednesday will begin selling marijuana in flower or leaf form for vaping, the Philadelphia Daily News reported.

The move – approved earlier this year by Gov. Tom Wolf – should help boost MMJ sales by giving patients a wider choice of potentially cheaper products. It also could help MMJ companies by lowering certain production costs.

The 13 grower/processor license winners hailed from across the state.

Here they are with their corresponding town and region:

  • DocHouse (Pottsville, southeast)
  • Agri-Kind (Chester, southeast)
  • Pier Cove (Hazle Township, northeast)
  • PharmaCann Penn Plant (Olyphant, northeast)
  • Green Leaf Medical (Saxton, south central)
  • Whole Plants (Lebanon, south central)
  • INSA (Shamokin Dam, north central)
  • Parea BioSciences (Coal Township, north central)
  • Maitri Genetics (Pittsburgh, southwest)
  • Hanging Gardens (Lemont Furnace, southwest)
  • PennAlt Organics (Johnstown, southwest)
  • Calypso Enterprises (Erie, northwest)
  • FarmaceuticalRx (Farrell, northwest)

PennAlt Organics, located in Lemont Furnace, scored the highest of all applicants.

The state’s program was designed to roll out in two phases. In June 2017, regulators approved 27 dispensary operator licenses and 12 grower/processor permits during Phase 2.

In addition to the 13 grower/processor licenses, Phase 2 will include 23 new dispensary operators.

During Phase 1, it took the Pennsylvania Department of Health about a week to announce the dispensary license winners after it announced the grower/processor licensees.

If that’s an indicator, the Phase 2 dispensary license winners could be announced next week.