The price is steep and regulations will be strict, but PA is on the way to MMJ.

Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives passed a medical marijuana bill in the middle of last year, and now Pennsylvania residents will finally have their opportunity to put their foot into the industry.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is now accepting applications for entrepreneurs interested in opening medical marijuana cultivation centers, production centers, or dispensaries. The process won’t be easy though, the application is a 33-page packet, which includes local and federal background checks, as well as exorbitant permit fees.

According to Harrisburg, PA’s Local Fox 43, medical marijuana industry applicants will need to put up a pretty penny - strengthening Pennsylvania’s already fortified barriers to entry. Prospective dispensary owners are required to put up a $5,000 non-refundable fee, as well as a $30,000 refundable fee. For growers, the fees jump up to a $10,000 non-refundable fee, and a whopping $200,000 refundable deposit. That means that PA’s ganjapreneurs will have to start with some deep pockets before they are even able join the medical cannabis industry.

Applications were released a few weeks ago and are due to the state’s Health Department in one month, by March 20th. The state will grant permits for up to 25 grower/processor and 50 dispensary licenses.

State officials expect Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program to be up and running by next year.