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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 1, 2023 03:05 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Donna Bullock |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Medical Marijuana Dispensary Permits for Small, Diverse, and/or Disadvantaged Businesses |
| In 2016, Pennsylvania became one of many states to enact a Medical Marijuana Law (Act 16 of 2016) to support individuals living with a host of ailments. The law created the foundation that allowed both growers and dispensaries to support patients, and it contains a provision that ensures, “diverse groups are accorded equal opportunity in the permitting process.” Unfortunately, this diversity goal has not been realized in a manner that was intended, as multistate corporations currently dominate our medical marijuana industry. Small, diverse, and/or disadvantaged businesses have largely been shut out. It is my firm belief that small, diverse, and/or disadvantaged businesses must be afforded the opportunity to compete for dispensary permits. Doing so will help ensure all communities are given fair access to medical marijuana products, which should be a priority for all in a patient-first system. To help meet these needs, I plan to introduce legislation that would require the Department of Health to annually reallocate all surrendered, revoked, or vacated permits, giving small, diverse, and/or disadvantaged businesses the initial opportunity to compete for these permits. This will create opportunities to expand patient access to care across the Commonwealth. Please join me in ensuring that small businesses, diverse businesses, and/or disadvantaged businesses have a chance to compete for these permits. |
Introduced as HB1881