Legal Status: Recreational ILLEGAL (HB 1200 passed House by 1 vote in May 2025, killed in Senate). Medical legal since 2016. Decriminalized in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh only.
Last updated: May 2026
Medical Card
24 qualifying conditions including anxiety, chronic pain, PTSD, cancer, epilepsy, ALS, autism, Crohn’s, glaucoma, opioid use disorder.
Cost: $50 state fee + ~$150 physician = ~$200. Fee waivers for Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, PACE.
Supply: 30-day supply per physician; 90-day max (192 Medical Marijuana Units).
CRITICAL: Smoking Is ILLEGAL
Even for medical patients. Vaporization of flower and concentrates is permitted. Oral forms (tinctures, capsules) permitted. Combustion of any form is a violation. This catches many patients off guard.
Home Cultivation
NO. Growing even a single plant is a FELONY (36 months to 5 years, up to $15,000 fine).
DUI / Impairment
1 ng/mL in blood: the LOWEST per se limit in the United States. The mere presence of THC or metabolites supports a DUI charge. Having a medical card provides NO protection. First offense: mandatory 72 hours to 6 months jail, $1,000-5,000 fine, 12-month license suspension.
What Most People Get Wrong
People assume that having a Pennsylvania medical card means they can smoke cannabis. They CANNOT. Vaporization is the only legal inhalation method. Combustion is technically illegal even at home with a valid card.