HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Health has given Cresco Yeltrah the green light to begin growing and processing medical marijuana at its Jefferson County location, making it the first facility to be deemed fully operational in Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program.

(PHOTO: Trent Hartley, Founder of Cresco Yeltrah. Photo by Scott Shindledecker.)

“Every day we hear from patients who are desperately waiting for medical marijuana to help alleviate the symptoms of their serious medical conditions,” Governor Wolf said Tuesday. “My message to them today is that Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program is moving forward and we will have medication to them sometime in 2018. Cresco Yeltrah will now be able to grow medical marijuana, making sure that patients will not have to wait much longer.”

In order to become operational, Cresco Yeltrah underwent several inspections from the Department of Health. It also is fully integrated with the seed-to-sale tracking system. Cresco Yeltrah will now be able to begin accepting seeds and clones to grow medical marijuana.

“In the coming weeks, we expect the 11 other grower/processors to be ready to grow and process medical marijuana,” Acting Health Secretary and Physician General Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We are working with them, as well as the dispensaries, to ensure the program stays on track. Patients are our first priority, and we want to get medication to them as safely and efficiently as possible.”

The new medical marijuana cultivation facility in Brookville, Jefferson County, will be located in the industrial park on Service Center Road next to the Jefferson County Jail.

In June, Cresco Yeltrah announced it was beginning work at a 46,000 square foot grow center in Brookville after being awarded a medical marijuana cultivation license as part of the Pennsylvania Compassionate Medical Cannabis Program.

The facility will open no later than December 20, 2017. State regulations require the facility to be operational six months from the date of approval, which was June 20, 2017.

Founder Trent Hartley said there will be about 20 employees working at the facility in the first six to nine months, then 80 by the second year.

The Medical Marijuana Program was signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf on April 17, 2016.

It became effective on May 17, 2016, and is expected to be fully implemented by 2018. The program will offer medical marijuana to patients who are residents of Pennsylvania and under a practitioner’s care for the treatment of a serious medical condition as defined by the Medical Marijuana Law.