Cannabis Proving To Be A Boon To PA., But State And Federal Constraints Remain
If PA one day legalizes recreational cannabis, there’s even more room to grow
In the four years since Pennsylvania legalized the production, distribution and use of medical cannabis, the industry has quickly expanded. In deindustrialized towns like McKeesport, just outside Pittsburgh, cannabis has created new job opportunities, and could help seed new strains of revenue and employment.
McKeesport used to be a steel town. So when Gabe Perlow and his partners were choosing where to build their medical cannabis facility, PurePenn LLC, they decided McKeesport was a no-brainer.
“While the mill might have left, that work ethic didn’t leave,” said Perlow. “The people we bring in are extremely hard working, extremely passionate, not only about the work they do, but about the community that they live in.”
Nearly three-quarters of PurePenn’s workforce lives in McKeesport. Since beginning operations in 2017, the company has grown from 25 employees to nearly 75, and hopes to reach 100. This year, they began a $20 million expansion that will triple the company’s manufacturing footprint, and increase the amount of property taxes flowing to still-struggling McKeesport’s coffers.
PurePenn is one of several businesses that have set up shop in McKeesport in the last few years. Mayor Michael Cherepko said the city’s economy used to be steel, period. Now, it’s diversifying.
“It almost becomes like a snowball effect,” he said. “You just need that anchor.”
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