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Pennsylvania’s pro-medical marijuana governor Tom Wolfe (D) announced Tuesday that the state’s 17,000+ registered patients will be allowed to purchase their medicine at six dispensaries throughout the Keystone State by Saturday.

Cresco Yeltrah, the state’s first cultivator/dispensary to open its doors to the public, will begin sales at 9 a.m. Thursday morning. Located in Butler, the first state-sanctioned dispensary is – depending on how fast you drive – located roughly an hour north of Pittsburgh.

“Medical marijuana will be available to patients starting tomorrow [Thursday] at Cresco Yeltra in Butler,” noted the Pennsylvania Department of Health in an early morning announcement via Twitter on Wednesday. The informative tweet also provided a solid caveat, “patients are encouraged to contact dispensary before visiting to see if an appointment is required.”

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PA Department of Health ✔@PAHealthDept
Medical marijuana will be available to patients starting TOMORROW at Cresco Yeltrah in Butler!

Patients are encouraged to contact dispensary before visiting to see if an appt is required. Find other dispensaries that will have product on 2/16 & 2/17 → http://medicalmarijuana.pa.gov
6:33 AM - Feb 14, 2018
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By Saturday, a total of six dispensaries are scheduled to open for business.

Cresco Yeltrah – Opens Feb. 15
Keystone Canna Remedies – Opens Feb. 16
Solevo – Squirrel Hill – Opens Feb. 16
Organic Remedies – Enola – Opens Feb. 16
Terra Vida Holistic Center – Sellersville – Opens Feb. 17
Keystone Shops – Devon – Opens Feb. 17

Considered beneficial but restrictive, here’s what you can expect to find at the state’s first dispensary. Under the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act, patients diagnosed with one of the state’s 17 qualifying conditions can legally medicate with the following forms of medicinal cannabis.

Pill
Oil
Topical forms, including gel, creams, or ointments
A form medically appropriate for administration by vaporization or nebulization, excludingdry leaf or plant form
Tincture
Liquid

Signed into law on April 17, 2016 by Gov. Wolf, the launch of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana sales was celebrated on Tuesday in an official statement.

“Pennsylvanians have been waiting years for this moment,” Governor Wolf said. “Medical marijuana is legal, safe and now available to Pennsylvanians suffering from 17 serious medical conditions. In less than two years, we have developed a regulatory infrastructure, approved physicians as practitioners, certified patients to participate and launched a new industry to help thousands find relief from their debilitating symptoms.”

While Cresco Yeltrah represents Pennsylvania’s first medical marijuana dispensary to officially open, the state has currently licensed 10 dispensaries and 10 cultivators.

Congratulations Pennsylvania!

An overgrowth of weed has lawmakers and spectators alike wondering: how is Oregon handling its cannabis surplus? The state is currently producing more weed than the legal market can handle. And the surplus in cannabis production has become a sticky issue with lawmakers, law enforcement, and cannabis industry players. Here’s how Oregon is handling it.

A Spike In Cannabis Production

Billy J. Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the state of Oregon, published an opinion article last month in The Oregonian. In it, he described the state’s cannabis surplus.

Williams argued that Oregon’s legal weed industry has sparked more marijuana-growing activity than the state can handle. As a result, he said, much of the cannabis produced in Oregon is finding its way onto the black market.

“In 2017 alone, postal agents in Oregon seized 2,644 pounds of marijuana in outbound parcels and over $1.2 million in cash,” he wrote. “Overproduction creates a powerful profit incentive, driving product from both state-licensed and unlicensed marijuana producers into black and gray markets across the country.”

He concluded: “This lucrative supply attracts cartels and other criminal networks into Oregon and in turn brings money laundering, violence, and environmental degradation.”

The massive amount of cannabis being grown in Oregon most likely stems from a couple key factors.

For starters, Oregon has long been a prime location for growing cannabis. Even before weed became legal, growers found near-perfect environmental and climatic conditions for cannabis cultivation.

More recently, the legal industry has likely sparked an uptick in the volume of weed being grown in the state. In particular, Oregon has not set a limit on how many growers can become licensed to produce cannabis.

According to The Chicago Tribune, there are currently 900 licensed recreational growers in Oregon and more than 1,100 waiting approval. There are also more than 25,000 licensed medical marijuana growers.

Given all this activity, it may not be surprising that the state now has more weed than the legal industry can handle.

Final Hit: How Is Oregon Handling Its Cannabis Surplus?

Oregon’s cannabis surplus could create tensions with the federal government. Recently, Attorney General Jeff Sessions revoked an Obama-era policy that directed federal agents to take a “hands-off” approach when dealing with weed-legal states.

The move could pave the way for a federal crackdown. And if such a crackdown materializes, any cannabis perceived to be fueling the black market would be a likely target.

To address this type of tension, Williams is organizing a state-wide summit to discuss how to handle the situation. He said he would invite a wide range of people and organizations to attend.

This includes federal, state, local, and tribal leaders, lawmakers, and law enforcement, public health groups, and various community organizations.

“This summit and the state’s response will inform our federal enforcement strategy,” Williams wrote. “How we move forward will depend in large measure on how the state responds to the gaps we have identified.”

Medical marijuana became legal in Oregon in 1998. Then, in 2014, voters approved the legalization of recreational cannabis. Since then, the state’s legal THC market has exploded.

Now, with a cannabis surplus creating the possibility for increased tension with federal law enforcement, the state may have to adjust key aspects of its legal weed programs.