The Pennsylvania Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill to allow all licensed medical marijuana grower-processors in the state to sell their cannabis products directly to patients—and there’s talk of potentially expanding the legislation in the House to allow for personal home cultivation as well.
In a 44-3 vote on Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Senate advanced the measure from Sen. Chris Gebhard (R), who first previewed plans to file the reform bill late last year.
Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana law currently says that only 25 businesses can be licensed for marijuana growing and processing, and only five of those licensees can sell directly to patients through vertically integrated dispensaries.
That’s created a near-monopoly in the state, giving select out-of-state operators dominance over the industry “to the detriment of these independent grower-processors,” Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D) told Pennlive, which first reported Wednesday’s vote. Allowing independent in-state growers to vertically integrate represents a partial remedy.
While Pennsylvania has yet to enact adult-use legalization, there’s a growing expectation that the state will eventually follow others in the region and begin allowing recreational sales. Some businesses have felt the strain as anticipation about the policy change builds, especially as wholesale marijuana prices drop and multi-state
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