Cambria County Cannabis – Is It Legal & Where To Buy 2025

Pennsylvania Cannabis
Cambria County Cannabis

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Cambria County?

In accordance with the State of Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act of 2016, licensed cannabis cultivation in Cambria County is legal if meant for medical use only. The Medical Marijuana Program of the state is under the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH).

A medical cannabis grower-processor permit is required for a medical cannabis cultivation company to operate in Cambria County. This license is issued by the Medical Marijuana Program of the DOH and is limited to 25 throughout the state. The permit holder is mandated to pass a two-hour training course and is then authorized to cultivate cannabis crops and manufacture medical cannabis products.

To apply for the medical cannabis grower-processor permit, the following are required:

Pay the non-refundable application fee of $10,000.
Pay the permit fee of $200,000, which is refundable in case the permit is not granted.
Submit documentation as proof of having venture capital worth $2 million, with $500,000 of it deposited in a bank.
Submit documentation as proof of being compliant with the municipality’s zoning rules.
Submit documentation as proof of having the capability to protect the medical cannabis cultivation facility against illegal entry and activities.
Submit a diversity plan.

All licensed medical cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and storage of medical cannabis plant materials and products must be done fully indoors within completely enclosed and secure structures, according to Section 702 of the Medical Marijuana Act. These must not be visible to the public.

The entire medical cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility must be off-limits to unauthorized persons. If any guests are allowed, they must be accompanied throughout their stay by employees.

Within the facility, sectors must be subdivided according to use and only the necessary staff must be allowed to enter each sector. Signs no smaller than 12 square inches with lettering at least half an inch in size must mark each sector and warn unauthorized staff to keep out.

All licensed medical cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facilities must be protected by a professional security system with electronic locks and continuously recorded video surveillance. Recordings must be kept for at least 180 days.

In compliance with the Pennsylvania Pesticide Control Act of 1973, all licensed medical cannabis grower-processor permit holders are only allowed to use pesticides that have been registered with the State of Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture and approved for application on medical cannabis crops.

All licensed medical cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facilities, and all other types of licensed medical cannabis facilities, must also set up an online inventory tracking system that is connected to the DOH medical cannabis database. Every licensed medical cannabis facility must keep its online inventory updated daily.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Cambria County?

As stipulated by the Medical Marijuana Act of the State of Pennsylvania, cannabis product manufacturing in Cambria County is legal only for the production of medical cannabis products by licensed medical cannabis grower-processor permit holders. Therefore, they are covered by the same requirements and regulations discussed earlier.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Cambria County?

As mandated by the State of Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act, licensed cannabis retail selling in Cambria County is legal only for medical cannabis and medical cannabis products sold exclusively to medical cannabis cardholding patients and caregivers.

A medical cannabis dispensary permit from the DOH Medical Marijuana Program is required for a medical cannabis retail company to operate in Cambria County. This license is limited to 50 statewide. As of April 17, 2023, there were two licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in Cambria County, both in the City of Johnstown.

Each medical cannabis dispensary licensee may operate a maximum of three dispensary locations. License holders are mandated to pass the same two-hour training course as medical cannabis grower and processor licensees.

To apply for the medical cannabis dispensary permit, the following are required:

Pay the non-refundable application fee of $5,000.
Pay the permit fee of $30,000, which is refundable in case the permit is not granted.
Submit documentation as proof of having capital worth $150,000.
Submit documentation as proof of being compliant with the municipality’s zoning rules.
Submit documentation as proof of having the capability to protect the medical cannabis cultivation facility against illegal entry and activities.
Submit a business plan.
Submit a diversity plan.

A licensed medical cannabis dispensary is only allowed to sell to a medical cannabis cardholder a 90-day supply of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products for each 83-day period. The actual quantity will be based on the patient’s prescription.

Prohibited for sale in licensed medical cannabis dispensaries are forms of medical cannabis intended for smoking and edible medical cannabis products. Also prohibited are the specific cannabis vaping products in the [DOH list of forbidden products](https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/Documents/Programs/Medical Marijuana/DOH - Withdraw of Products Containing Additives Not Approved for Inhalation by the FDA.pdf) since these contain additives that are hazardous to health. Other forms of medical cannabis are allowed for retail sale, such as dried cannabis flowers and leaves, liquids, oils, tinctures, tablets, ointments, creams, and topical preparations.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Cambria County?

According to the Medical Marijuana Act of the State of Pennsylvania, it is not legal to deliver medical cannabis and medical cannabis products even to medical cannabis cardholders in Cambria County. Cardholding patients and caregivers must purchase medical cannabis and medical cannabis products from licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in person.

All licensed medical cannabis businesses are, however, allowed to transport medical cannabis and medical cannabis products among themselves.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Cambria County

To get medical cannabis treatment, residents of Cambria County can apply for a medical cannabis card from the State of Pennsylvania. They must create an online account on the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program Registry, where they must provide a username, password, full name, their residential address that must be recognized by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), and a scan of their valid ID issued by the state. They will then be given their patient identification number (PIN).

The patient must have the PIN before going to a [medical cannabis health practitioner](https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/Documents/Programs/Medical Marijuana/DOH Approved Practitioners.pdf) approved by the DOH. As of June 2023, there were nine qualified health practitioners in Cambria County. The health practitioner will check for a diagnosis of any of the following ailments that qualify for medical cannabis treatment:

Terminal illness
Epilepsy
Chronic hepatitis C
Autism
Huntington’s Disease
Multiple sclerosis
Opioid Use Disorder
Severe chronic pain
Sickle cell anemia
Parkinson’s Disease
Crohn’s disease
Inflammatory bowel disease
Glaucoma
Dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders
Neurodegenerative diseases
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Anxiety
Central nervous system damage
Cancer
HIV/AIDS
Intractable seizures
Neuropathies
Tourette Syndrome
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The health practitioner will post on the online registry a certification of the diagnosis using the PIN. For patients younger than 18 or incapacitated adult patients, the health practitioner will indicate the need for caregivers. Each patient may name no more than two caregivers. The respective email addresses of the patient and caregivers will also be posted by the health practitioner. The patient must pay for the consultation out-of-pocket if it is not covered by the patient’s health insurance.

The Medical Marijuana Program will send emails to the patient and caregivers with instructions on completing their applications online and paying the fee of $50 each. The following program beneficiaries are exempted from paying the fee:

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) beneficiaries
Medicaid beneficiaries
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) beneficiaries
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET) beneficiaries
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries

In addition to going through the same application process as patients, caregivers must go through a background check for possible criminal history.

The medical cannabis card will be sent to the residence of the patient and caregivers, respectively, through the post.

The public may contact the program for inquiries at:

Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program

888-733-5595

7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time, including weekends and holidays

How Has Cannabis Legalization Impacted the Economy of Cambria County?

The State of Pennsylvania’s Department of Revenue states that medical cannabis taxation does not include the state sales tax. All medical cannabis businesses, however, are still subject to all the usual business taxes. In addition, a gross receipts tax of 5% must be paid by licensed medical cannabis growers and processors on each sale of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products to licensed medical cannabis dispensaries.

All medical cannabis application fees, licensing fees, and tax revenues are sent to the Medical Marijuana Program Fund. They are then distributed in the following manner:

40% is given to the operations and outreach programs of the Medical Marijuana Program
30% is given to the DOH Research Program to study further illnesses to be qualified for medical cannabis treatment
15% is given as subsidies for indigents in the form of:
- Free or discounted medical cannabis and medical cannabis products for patients
- Free or discounted fees for medical cannabis cards
- Refunds on fees for background checks of caregivers
10% is given to the addiction treatment, counseling, and prevention efforts of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs
5% is given to local police departments, including those in Cambria County, for the implementation of the Medical Marijuana Act, with distribution done by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Cambria County

Medical cannabis was legalized in Cambria County in 2016.

On the FBI’s Crime Explorer page, data sent by the Pennsylvania State Police shows that in 2015, a year before the legalization of medical cannabis, there were 35 arrests for marijuana offenses in Cambria County, all for possession.

In 2017, a year after the legalization of medical cannabis, there were 26 arrests for marijuana offenses in the county, comprised of 24 arrests for possession and two arrests for sales.

The latest data available, which is from 2018, shows 48 arrests for marijuana offenses in the county, all for possession.

In those years, the number of DUI arrests was as follows:

2015: 274 arrests
2017: 175 arrests
2018: 247 arrests