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County Planners Learn About Medical Marijuana At Conference

medical marijuana

Medical marijuana and how it’s being implemented in Pennsylvania was the focus of the main morning session Tuesday during the annual conference of Pennsylvania planners. 

There are many unsettled questions surrounding the new arena of legal medical pot in Pennsylvania.

Who reviewed the medical marijuana applications. What will happen to growers who aren’t up and running in six months. And will businesses be able to get financial backing from banks.

“Will all of the medical marijuana organizations make it? Not quite sure yet. Again, we see fatal flaws like banking and financing,” said attorney Tamara Fox. 

Fox and Charles Suhr, with Stevens & Lee, discussed those issues Tuesday as part of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association’s annual conference in State College.

The state Department of Health has issued about half of its grower and dispensary permits. Last week, a processor in Jefferson County became the first to get the final OK to grow.

Some of the questions may get answered in an upcoming court case. Keystone ReLeaf is asking the Commonwealth Court to redo the application process.

Suhr said he expects to hear in the next few months where things are headed and how it will affect the current round of applicants and the next one.

Anne Danahy has been a reporter at WPSU since fall 2017. Before crossing over to radio, she was a reporter at the Centre Daily Times in State College, Pennsylvania, and she worked in communications at Penn State. She is married with cats.