By MSOs Hold Majority Of Southwest Pennsylvania Permits
Multi-state cannabis operators control 10 of the 16 Pennsylvania permits originally awarded to companies for the state’s southwest region, according to a NewsWorks Lab analysis. The analysis drew on permit applications, Department of Health documents, Securities and Exchange Commission filings, and press releases.
Curaleaf, Green Thumb Industries-owned RISE, Verano Holdings Corp.’s Zen Leaf, Sunnyside, and Jushi Holdings Inc.’s Beyond Hello now operate more than 100 dispensaries in the state. That figure represents more than half of Pennsylvania’s dispensaries, according to the analysis.
Each of the cannabis companies with the most stores in Pennsylvania are publicly traded, according to Yahoo Finance. The list includes Cresco, Verano, Green Thumb, Curaleaf, Trulieve, and Jushi Holdings Inc.
Acquisitions Reshaped The State’s Industry
In 2020, Trulieve Cannabis Corp purchased PurePenn and Keystone Relief Centers, which held grower-processor and dispensary licenses, respectively. The company now has 21 dispensaries across Pennsylvania, according to its website.
In 2024, Cresco Labs bought Keystone Integrated Care, which had two locations in the state. These acquisitions contributed to the consolidation documented in the NewsWorks Lab analysis.
The permit consolidation reflects a broader shift in ownership since Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis program launched. Companies originally awarded regional permits have increasingly been absorbed by larger, publicly traded multi-state operators.
Lawmakers Responded But MSOs Still Dominate
In 2023, state Sen. Chris Gebhard (R), in prepared remarks published in the Legislative Journal in support of a bill to allow independent companies to apply for an additional permit, wrote that the state’s medical cannabis program “once looked to as an example of good government, promoting homegrown jobs and businesses in some of our more economically downtrodden communities, is now a program dominated by out-of-state companies.”
The legislation was ultimately successful, and about a dozen companies received grower-processor permits. However, multi-state operators still dominate the state’s industry, according to the analysis.
Ten of the 16 southwest region permits remain under multi-state operator control.
