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

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Lycoming County?

Licensed cannabis cultivation for medical purposes in Lycoming County is legal by virtue of the Medical Marijuana Act of the State of Pennsylvania, also called 2016 Act 16, which was later amended by 2021 Act 44. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is managing the state’s Medical Marijuana Program.

A cannabis cultivation business may be set up in Lycoming County only with a medical cannabis grower-processor permit from the Medical Marijuana Program of the DOH. After attending a two-hour DOH training session, the licensee is authorized to cultivate medical cannabis crops and manufacture medical cannabis products.

Section 616 of the Medical Marijuana Act authorized a maximum of 25 medical cannabis grower-processor permits for the entire state, with only one such permit per owner. However, the DOH Office of Medical Marijuana’s July 2022 report states that a 26th permit was issued through a court order. As of July 2023, 12 medical cannabis grower-processor permits have been issued under Phase 1 applications, with none located in Lycoming County.

The following requirements must be met in applying for the medical cannabis grower-processor permit:

• Pay the non-refundable $10,000 application fee
• Pay the $200,000 permit fee, which will be refunded if the application is denied
• Submit documentation of venture capital worth $2 million, of which $500,000 is deposited in a bank
• Submit documentation of compliance with municipal zoning regulations, as required by the Medical Marijuana Act’s Section 2107
• Submit documentation of the capability to ensure that the medical cannabis growing and processing facility will be secure against unlawful entry, robbery, and other illegal activities
• Submit a diversity plan

The Medical Marijuana Act’s Section 702 restricts all activities related to medical cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and storage to be done indoors within a fully enclosed building and away from the sight of the public. The facility must be protected by a security system equipped with electronic locks and recorded 24-hour video camera surveillance. Footage must be saved for not less than 180 days.

Only authorized individuals must be allowed into the facility, and signage at entry points must warn unauthorized persons to keep out. Inside the building, areas must be designated according to use, and only the personnel authorized to work in each area must be allowed to enter. Signage with dimensions of at least one square foot and with letters not smaller than one-half inch high must mark each area. Any guests allowed into the facility must be escorted by staff throughout their visit.

When cultivating medical cannabis crops, licensees are permitted to use only pesticides approved specifically for medical cannabis and that were registered with the state’s Department of Agriculture.

Licensees are also required to set up an online inventory tracking system that connects to the medical cannabis database of the DOH. This must be updated to monitor all plants and products.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Lycoming County?

Licensed medical cannabis product manufacturing in Lycoming County is legal as mandated by the State of Pennsylvania’s 2016 Act 16 and 2021 Act 44. Only holders of the DOH Medical Marijuana Program’s medical cannabis grower-processor permit are authorized to manufacture medical cannabis products. As such, all requirements and regulations discussed previously apply.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Lycoming County?

Licensed medical cannabis retail in Lycoming County is legal as stipulated by 2016 Act 16 and 2021 Act 44 of the State of Pennsylvania. A medical cannabis dispensary permit issued by the DOH Medical Marijuana Program is required to be able to legally sell retail medical cannabis and medical cannabis products to medical cannabis cardholders.

Section 616 of the Medical Marijuana Act authorized a maximum of 50 medical cannabis dispensary permits to be granted across the state, with each one allowed to have three dispensary locations. From the grower-processor licensees, only five will be given medical cannabis dispensary permits. As of July 2023, 27 primary medical cannabis dispensary permits and 15 secondary dispensary permits have been issued statewide, but none were in Lycoming County.

The following requirements must be complied with when applying for the medical cannabis dispensary permit:

• Pay the non-refundable $5,000 application fee
• Pay the $30,000 permit fee, which will be refunded if the application is not approved
• Submit documentation of venture capital worth $150,000
• Submit documentation of compliance with municipal zoning requirements
• Submit documentation of the capability to ensure that the medical cannabis dispensary facility will be protected against illegal entry, theft, and other unlawful activities
• Submit a diversity plan
• Submit a business plan

Section 802 of 2016 Act 16 only allows dispensing indoors, within the dispensary. However, this was amended by Section 802(a)(1) of 2021 Act 44 to allow curbside pick-ups.

Every 83 days, a medical cannabis cardholder is allowed to purchase from a licensed medical cannabis dispensary only a 90-day supply of medical cannabis and its products. The actual quantity will be based on the patient’s certification found on the online registry.

Edible medical cannabis products and smokable forms of medical cannabis are not allowed for sale. However, the patient or the patient’s caregiver is allowed to incorporate medical cannabis into food for the patient’s intake as part of treatment.

Medical cannabis forms for vaping are permitted for retail sale, with the exception of those included in the list of forbidden products of the DOH. Those particular forbidden vaping products contain hazardous additives.

Forms of medical cannabis allowed for retail sale are dried cannabis leaves, pills, liquids, tinctures, oils, ointments, creams, gels, and similar topical formulations.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Lycoming County?

Under the State of Pennsylvania’s 2016 Act 16 and 2021 Act 44, it is not legal even for licensed medical cannabis dispensaries to deliver medical cannabis and medical cannabis products to medical cannabis cardholders in Lycoming County. The transportation of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products is only allowed between licensed medical cannabis businesses by Section 703 of 2021 Act 44.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Lycoming County

To get a medical cannabis card, Lycoming County residents must visit the online Medical Marijuana Program Registry of the State of Pennsylvania and create an adult patient account or a caregiver account for a patient below the age of 18. A caregiver may also register for an adult patient who is mentally or physically incapacitated. A valid state ID and a residential address recognized by the USPS are required. A patient identification number (PIN) shall then be issued by the online registry.

The patient must then be examined by a DOH-approved medical cannabis health practitioner. There are two in Lycoming County. The health practitioner will upload a patient’s certification on the registry if the patient is diagnosed with one of the following qualifying ailments:

• Tourette syndrome
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Sickle cell anemia
• Anxiety disorders
• Severe chronic or intractable pain
• Autism
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Cancer, including remission therapy
• HIV
• Crohn's disease
• AIDS
• Central nervous system nervous tissue damage with intractable spasticity
• Parkinson's disease
• Dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders
• Opioid use disorder
• Epilepsy
• Neuropathies
• Glaucoma
• Neurodegenerative diseases
• Huntington's disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Intractable seizures
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Terminal illness

A patient is allowed up to two caregivers who are required to pass criminal background checks. The names of caregivers will be included in the patient’s certification.

The Medical Marijuana Program will send the patient and the caregiver an email with instructions on how to complete the application online and how to pay the $50 fee. Beneficiaries of the following programs are exempted from paying the fee:

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

The approved medical cannabis card will be mailed.

For inquiries, the following may be contacted:

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 Lycoming County?

The state sales tax is not included in medical cannabis taxation, according to the Department of Revenue of the State of Pennsylvania. However, all medical cannabis businesses must pay regular business taxes. Also, licensed medical cannabis growers-processors, in particular, must pay a 5% gross receipts tax on the medical cannabis and medical cannabis products they sell to licensed dispensaries.

All tax revenues and license fees for medical cannabis are sent to the Medical Marijuana Program Fund. This is allocated in the following manner:

• Medical Marijuana Program operations and outreach efforts: 40%
• DOH Research Program to expand the list of qualifying illnesses for medical cannabis treatment: 30%
• Subsidies for low-income patients and caregivers: 15%
• Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs on counseling, treatment, and abuse prevention 10%
• Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, for distribution to police departments in the implementation of the Medical Marijuana Act

Lycoming County police departments and indigent patients and caregivers in the county are, therefore, benefiting in part from the legalization of medical cannabis.

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Lycoming County

Medical cannabis was first legalized in the State of Pennsylvania, including Lycoming County, in 2016.

Data on the Crime Explorer page of the FBI shows that in 2015, a year before the legalization of medical cannabis, there were 18,470 marijuana possession arrests and 4,375 marijuana sales arrests, totaling 22,845 marijuana offense arrests.

In 2017, a year after the legalization of medical cannabis, there were 23,127 marijuana possession arrests and 4,666 marijuana sales arrests, totaling 27,793 marijuana offense arrests.

In 2019, there were 11,239 marijuana possession arrests and 1,117 marijuana sales arrests, totaling 12,356 marijuana offense arrests.

In 2021, the latest data showed 1,276 marijuana possession arrests and 72 marijuana sales arrests, totaling 1,348 marijuana offense arrests.

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

• 2015: 46,904 arrests
• 2017: 45,492 arrests
• 2019: 21,137 arrests
• 2021: 3,903 arrests