HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Two medical marijuana growing facilities are coming to the area.
The Department of Health announced Tuesday that Johnstown and Saxton were two of 13 locations awarded permits to operate the grow facilities.
Green Leaf Medicals will have its location on Horton Drive in Saxton. This was the second time the company applied for a permit at that location.
"We are extremely excited to have been awarded a permit to cultivate and process medical cannabis in Saxton, PA," said Green Leaf Medical CEO Philip Goldberg.
"Not only are we excited for our company but for the residents of Saxton Borough and Bedford County. Our facility will bring much needed jobs to a community of humble, hardworking, intelligent and honest people."
Hanging Gardens LLC, based out of Philadelphia, was approved to open a location on Iron Street in Johnstown.
The Iron Street location where Hanging Gardens will operate from is owned by the Johnstown Redevelopment Authority and will be leased to them starting at $10,000 per month.
However, the company can get a discount on rent if they provide a certain amount of jobs.
“I’m pleased that two grower/processors in this area have received approval under the state’s new medical marijuana program," said state Sen. Wayne Langerholc.
"This will provide greater access to medication for residents, help our local economy by bringing jobs to the area and potentially reduce the use of opioids for pain management. This is critical as we address the growing opioid crisis here in Pennsylvania.”
The application process drew dozens of applications from businesses trying to land a facility in one of six regions.
The applications were based on a scorecard that had a total of 1,000 possible points and was graded on the company’s diversity plan, plan of operation, community impact, business history and capacity to operate.
Green Leaf Medicals received a score of 734.5 and Hanging Gardens came in at 779.
This was the second phase of permits to be awarded in the state for grow facilities as in June in last year 12 facilities were approved, including a location in Brookville.
“In this next phase, Phase II, we are fully implementing the program to expand access to this medication to every part of the state. This medication is vital to Pennsylvanians suffering from one of the 21 serious medical conditions allowed under the law and we need to ensure they have access to it close to their homes," said Dr. Rachel Levine, the Department of Health secretary.
To date, 52,000 patients in the commonwealth have registered to participate in the medical marijuana program.
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