Fewer people using Pennsylvania's medical marijuana program
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Pennsylvania's medical cannabis program shed users over the past year even as sales ticked up.
Why it matters: The next big thing for cannabis in the Commonwealth — legalizing recreational adult use — remains in flux.
State of play: The Commonwealth had nearly 439,400 users registered with the medical marijuana program as of Nov. 1, a decline of more than 1,300 compared to the same time in 2024, per state data.
- Across the state, 185 medical marijuana dispensaries are operating — one less than the year before — along with 30 growers and processors.
- Sales at dispensaries, meanwhile, topped $1.3 billion during the first three quarters of 2025, per the latest figures, up more than 4% compared to the same period in 2024.
Despite the user dip, the program still has room to grow, says Meredith Buettner, executive director of the Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition, an industry trade group.
- New dispensaries could open in underserved areas of the state, for instance, and lawmakers could add more qualifying medical conditions.
Threat level: The program's facing real competition from people traveling to neighboring states where adult use is legalized already — think Jersey Shore crowds from the city in the summer — as well as from cheap hemp-derived THC intoxicants at gas stations and smoke shops.
Zoom in: Lawmakers are considering changes to the 7-year-old program. One proposal would create a Cannabis Control Board to assume oversight of the program from the state's health department.
The intrigue: They're still divided over full legalization.
- Proposals on the table include whether to sell cannabis at state-owned retail stores (similar to liquor sales) or independent stores.
Between the lines: While lawmakers squabble, the state is missing out on potentially big revenues from legalization amid a looming budget crisis.
- Revenues from legalization in the Commonwealth could hit roughly $250 million annually, the Shapiro administration has estimated.