2 medical marijuana dispensary permits issued for Johnstown

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — Something new is coming to Johnstown. On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health issued 23 medical marijuana dispensary permits. Two of those permits were issued for dispensaries in the city of Johnstown.

Franklin BioScience – SW LLC and Harvest of Southwest PA LLC will both receive permits as part of phase II of the medical marijuana program.

Right now, the closest medical marijuana dispensary to Johnstown is Herbology, which is about an hour away in Altoona. But soon there will be two dispensaries, BEYOND/HELLO and Harvest, in the city. According to the DOH, the dispensaries plan to open up locations downtown on Main Street.

The recipients of the permits will now have six months to become operational before they can dispense medical marijuana, according to a release from the DOH.

BEYOND/HELLO, which is owned by Franklin BioScience - SW LLC, opened their first Pennsylvania dispensary in May in Bucks County. Blythe Huestis, the president of BEYOND/HELLO, said the company is excited to make medical marijuana available to residents throughout the commonwealth.

"Patients are finding relief from various ailments from cancer or chronic pain, the list is really endless. And we’ve found as we continue to serve patients here in the commonwealth that they’re really meeting and having their expectations exceeded with the use of medical cannabis," Huestis said.

There are currently 21 serious medical conditions in the state that qualify people to receive medical marijuana, according to the DOH.

"I'm looking forward to this program to continuing to grow, build traction and gain more support. And ultimately, for members of the community to really have an understanding about the medical marijuana program is all about," Huestis said.

6 News created a poll on the WJAC-TV Facebook page and asked viewers the question, "Do you like the idea of medical marijuana dispensaries in Johnstown?" As of Tuesday evening, 2,300 people voted on the poll; 66 percent voted yes and 34 percent voted no.

“The permitting of these locations as part of Phase II of the medical marijuana program will ensure more people have access to medical marijuana close to home,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a release. “Medical marijuana is an essential form of treatment for Pennsylvanians suffering from one of 21 serious medical conditions. This step continues the growth of our scientific, medically-based medical marijuana program.”

According to the release, there will be a total of 79 dispensaries across Pennsylvania once the phase II dispensaries are operational. Dispensary permit holders can open up to a total of three locations.

You can find a full list of dispensaries across the state here.

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