Chicago cannabis company opens first Pa. dispensary in Harrisburg

Chicago-based cannabis company Verano opened its first of three Pennsylvania medical marijuana dispensaries in Harrisburg on Wednesday with dispensaries in Altoona and York coming soon.

Verano’s Zen Leaf Harrisburg, a medical marijuana dispensary offering cannabis products such as concentrates, vaporizers and flower, opened today in Allison Hill.

Verano has 18 active retail locations in 12 U.S. states. The new dispensary is the multi-state cannabis operator’s first in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania currently allows 50 medical marijuana dispensary retail licenses at any given time with each licensee able to open three facilities. Along with the Harrisburg location, Verano will be opening Zen Leafs in York this month and Altoona in January.

“We’re excited about our Pennsylvania debut, bringing the Zen Leaf dispensary experience to a new and thriving medical market,” said George Archos, founder and CEO of Verano. “While we introduce our brand to the patients around Harrisburg, we are equally eager to create new employment opportunities and to help support the community around us.”

Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program currently serves over 330,000 registered patients with approximately 90 to 100 dispensaries currently open to medical marijuana license holders.

Archos said that Verano is grateful to join the state’s emerging cannabis market, which it sees as having a great deal of momentum.

“Our goal is to eventually reach and assist as many Pennsylvanians as possible, and to establish ourselves as a household name among medical cannabis patients there,” he said.
The new Zen Leaf is located at 137 S. 17th St. in Harrisburg.