Lebanon County Cannabis – Is It Legal & Where To Buy 2025
- Pennsylvania Cannabis
- Lebanon County Cannabis
Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Lebanon County?
Licensed cannabis cultivation in Lebanon County for medical usage only was legalized in 2016 by the Medical Marijuana Act of the State of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) manages the state’s Medical Marijuana Program.
A cannabis cultivation company in Lebanon County can only operate with a medical cannabis grower-processor permit from the DOH Medical Marijuana Program. The permit holder is authorized to grow cannabis crops and process medical cannabis products from them. Only 25 of these permits will be issued statewide. The licensee will have to pass a two-hour training program.
The application requirements for the medical cannabis grower-processor permit are as follows:
- Payment of the non-refundable $10,000 application fee
- Payment of the $200,000 permit fee, refundable if the application fails
- Submission of documentation as proof of having venture capital worth $2 million, with $500,000 of it deposited in a bank.
- Submission of documented proof of compliance with the municipality’s zoning regulations
- Submission of documented proof of being capable of protecting the medical cannabis cultivation facility from illegal intrusion and unlawful acts
- Submission of a diversity plan
The Medical Marijuana Act’s Section 2107 requires that the cultivation and manufacturing facilities of medical cannabis grower-processor permit holders observe all the land use and zoning requirements of the municipality for the district they are assigned to.
The Medical Marijuana Act’s Section 702 requires that the licensed cultivation, manufacturing, and storage of medical cannabis plants and products be completely indoors and not seen by the public within a fully enclosed and secure facility. No unauthorized individuals may be allowed entry. If guests are allowed, they must be escorted by personnel during the entirety of their visit.
Areas inside the facility must be closed off by usage and only the pertinent personnel must be allowed to enter each area. Signs measuring at least one square foot with letters that are no less than one-half-inch high must identify each area and state that entry is for authorized staff only.
A professional-level security system must protect the entire medical cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility. It must use electronic locks and have continuous video surveillance with recorded footage saved for not less than 180 days.
Medical cannabis grower-processor permit holders may only use for cultivation the pesticides that the state’s Department of Agriculture has registered and approved for use with medical cannabis crops.
Moreover, medical cannabis grower-processor permit holders are required to establish an inventory tracking system online that is updated daily and linked with the medical cannabis database of the DOH.
Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Lebanon County?
Under the State of Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act, cannabis product manufacturing in Lebanon County is legal only for medical cannabis grower-processor permit holders processing solely medical cannabis products. Hence, all previously discussed requirements and regulations apply.
Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Lebanon County?
Under the Medical Marijuana Act of the State of Pennsylvania, licensed cannabis retail in Lebanon County is legal only for medical cannabis and medical cannabis products that are sold exclusively to medical cannabis cardholders.
A cannabis retail company in Lebanon County can only operate with a medical cannabis dispensary permit from the DOH Medical Marijuana Program, and upon completing the two-hour training session. Only 50 of these permits will be issued across the state, with each permit holder allowed to have up to three dispensary sites. Since July 10, 2019, there has been one licensed medical cannabis dispensary in Lebanon County, located in the City of Lebanon.
The application requirements for the medical cannabis dispensary permit are as follows:
- Payment of the non-refundable $5,000 application fee
- Payment of the $30,000 permit fee, refundable if the application fails
- Submission of documentation as proof of having capital worth $150,000
- Submission of documented proof of complying with municipal zoning regulations
- Submission of documented proof of the ability to protect the medical cannabis cultivation facility from illegal intrusion and unlawful acts
- Submission of a business plan
- Submission of a diversity plan
The Medical Marijuana Act’s Section 2107 requires that the retail facilities of medical cannabis dispensary permit holders comply with all the land use and zoning regulations of the municipality for the zonal district they are assigned to.
Every 83 days, a licensed medical cannabis dispensary is only allowed to sell medical cannabis and medical cannabis products comprising a 90-day supply to each medical cannabis cardholder, based on the patient’s certification on the online registry.
Licensed medical cannabis dispensaries are not allowed to sell edible medical cannabis products and medical cannabis in smokable forms. While medical cannabis for vaping is allowed, specific vaping products on the DOH list of forbidden products are banned for containing hazardous additives. Medical cannabis forms allowed for retail sale are dried cannabis plant materials, tablets, oils, liquids, tinctures, creams, ointments, and other topical formulations.
Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Lebanon County?
It is illegal for even licensed medical cannabis retailers to deliver medical cannabis and medical cannabis products to medical cannabis cardholders in Lebanon County in accordance with the State of Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act. Medical cannabis cardholders must purchase their supply of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products in person at licensed dispensaries.
It is, however, legal to transport medical cannabis and medical cannabis products between licensed medical cannabis businesses.
How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Lebanon County
Residents of Lebanon County may apply for a medical cannabis card by opening an account on the online Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program Registry. They must create their own username and password. They must also provide their full name, their residential address that must be recognized by the USPS, and their valid state-issued ID. In return, they will receive a patient identification number (PIN).
The patient must then find a DOH-approved medical cannabis health practitioner. There were 14 in Lebanon County as of June 2023. The health practitioner must examine the patient and post a certification on the online registry using the PIN if the patient is diagnosed with any of the following illnesses:
- Terminal illness
- HIV/AIDS
- Epilepsy
- Intractable seizures
- Chronic hepatitis C
- Neuropathies
- Autism
- Tourette Syndrome
- Huntington’s Disease
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Cancer
- Multiple sclerosis
- Central nervous system damage
- Opioid Use Disorder
- Anxiety
- Severe chronic pain
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Sickle cell anemia
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders
- Crohn’s disease
- Glaucoma
- Inflammatory bowel disease
The certification will note the need for a caregiver for patients younger than 18 or adult patients who are debilitated. A maximum of two caregivers may be assigned to every patient. The certification will also contain the names and email addresses of the patient and any caregivers. The consultation must be paid for by the patient if it is not covered by healthcare insurance.
The patient and any caregivers will receive individual emails from the Medical Marijuana Program on how to complete their online applications and pay the $50 fee. The fee is waived for beneficiaries of the following aid programs:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET)
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- Medicaid
- Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)
- Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
An extra step that caregivers must go through is the mandatory criminal background check.
The medical cannabis card will be mailed to the patient and any registered caregivers.
Inquiries may be sent to the following:
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 Lebanon County?
Medical cannabis taxation in the State of Pennsylvania, according to the Department of Revenue, consists of a 5% gross receipts tax that licensed medical cannabis growers-processors must pay whenever they sell medical cannabis and medical cannabis products to licensed medical cannabis dispensaries. Moreover, all types of medical cannabis companies must pay normal business taxes. The state sales tax, however, is not imposed on medical cannabis and medical cannabis products.
In addition to medical cannabis tax revenues, the Medical Marijuana Program Fund receives application and licensing fees from medical cannabis companies. The fund is allocated as follows:
- Medical Marijuana Program operations and outreach programs (40%)
- DOH Research Program on medical conditions to be added to the Medical Marijuana Program (30%)
- Subsidies for indigents in the form of free or discounted medical cannabis and medical cannabis products, medical cannabis card fees, and refunds on caregivers’ background check fees (15%)
- Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs prevention, counseling, and treatment (10%)
- Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency distribution to local police departments for the Medical Marijuana Act implementation (5%)
Hence, indigent registered patients and caregivers, as well as police departments, in Lebanon County benefit from some of the allocations from medical cannabis revenues.
The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Lebanon County
Medical cannabis was legalized in Lebanon County in 2016.
On the FBI’s Crime Explorer page, data sent by the Pennsylvania State Police for Lebanon County shows that in 2015, a year before the legalization of medical cannabis, there were 35 arrests for marijuana offenses in the county, comprised of 33 arrests for possession and two arrests for sales.
In 2017, a year after the legalization of medical cannabis, there were 91 arrests for marijuana offenses, comprised of 89 arrests for possession and two arrests for sales.
In 2018, the latest available data on the page, there were 138 arrests for marijuana offenses, with 135 arrests for possession and three arrests for sales.
The number of DUI arrests in those years was as follows:
- 2015: 268 arrests
- 2017: 223 arrests
- 2018: 200 arrests