Harrisburg, PA – Department of Health Secretary Dr. Karen Murphy today announced temporary regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries under Act 16 are slated for publication in tomorrow’s The Pennsylvania Bulletin, and are now available online.
“The dispensary temporary regulations outline what is needed in the plan for operation; process for dispensing medical marijuana; security and surveillance requirements at the dispensary; as well as where the dispensary facilities can be located,” said Secretary Murphy. “Our focus remains to implement a patient-focused medical marijuana program that gives help to those who need it.”
The grower and processor temporary regulations were published on October 29. These regulations outline the financial, legal, and operational requirements needed by an individual to be considered for a grower/processor permit, as well as where the facilities can be located.
The medical marijuana program was signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf on April 17. Since that time, the department has:
· Completed the Safe Harbor temporary guidelines and Safe Harbor Letter application process, as well as approved 127 applications to date;
· Released public surveys to aid in the development of temporary regulations for growers/processors and dispensaries/laboratories;
· Developed the Medical Marijuana Physician Workgroup, which met again on November 28; and
· Released a Request for Information for Electronic Tracking IT solutions for the tracking of medical marijuana.
Full implementation of the program is expected to be complete in 2018. The program will provide access to medical marijuana for patients who are Pennsylvania residents under a physician’s care for the treatment of a serious medical condition as defined by Act 16.
Questions about the medical marijuana program can be emailed to RA-DHMedMarijuana@pa.gov. Information is also available at www.health.pa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACT: April Hutcheson, 717-787-1783
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