New medical marijuana growing and processing plants are in the works for two area counties. On Tuesday, the Wolf Administration issued grower/processor permits to 13 companies interested in opening plants in Pennsylvania. One of them successfully bid to open a facility in Cambria  County and another received a permit to locate in Bedford County.

While Green Leaf Medicals, LLC failed in its first application to put a plant in Saxton, Bedford County, this time it received approval to set up shop in the former Seton plant. The borough’s mayor and other local business leaders strongly back the project for the jobs it might create

Meantime, in Cambria County, Hanging Gardens, LLC won a permit to open a growing/processing plant in Johnstown.

State officials say this second phase of the medical marijuana program will expand access to the drug to every part of the state.

So far, more than 52,000 patients have registered to take part in the medical marijuana program.
Thirty-thousand of them have received their identification cards and are eligible to visit a dispensary to buy medical marijuana.

Twenty one-conditions including epilepsy, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease are approved for cannabis treatment.