A medical marijuana card in Philadelphia: what applies locally

Decriminalized in the city, still illegal under state law

WHYY reports that Philadelphia has decriminalized possession of marijuana, treating it as a civil offense. That changes the local penalty. It does not change state law, under which possessing and using marijuana remain crimes as of October 2026, according to the same reporting. Decriminalization also creates nowhere to buy and none of the protections that come with being a registered patient, such as the bar on firing someone solely for being certified.

The gap matters for anyone who uses marijuana for a medical reason. Our explainer on marijuana's legal status in Pennsylvania walks through the legislative history, including the adult-use bill that passed the state House in 2025 and died in a Senate committee.

One statewide program, even in a city-county

Philadelphia is both a city and a county, with the same boundaries, but neither runs its own medical marijuana program. The Department of Health handles everything. A Philadelphia resident registers in the same state registry as anyone else, needs a Pennsylvania driver's license or state ID showing a current address, and pays the same $50 annual fee, or $0 if enrolled in Medicaid, CHIP, PACE/PACENET, SNAP or WIC.

The qualifying conditions are the same 24 that apply statewide, and the certification must come from an MD or DO registered with the Department.

Finding a certifying physician

Philadelphia has a local connection to the program's training system: two of the four providers the Department lists for the required four-hour practitioner course, St. Joseph's University and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, are Philadelphia institutions. That does not mean a given physician at either one certifies patients.

Pennsylvania law bars practitioners from advertising themselves as certifiers, so the Department's published list of approved practitioners is the place to check. If getting across the city to an appointment is the hard part, Act 44 of 2021 allows certification through real-time audio or video; our page on online evaluations explains how that works.

Buying in Philadelphia

The Department publishes a list of dispensaries with product (PDF), current as of September 15, 2026, with addresses, ZIP codes and phone numbers. Search it for Philadelphia ZIP codes and call ahead about stock. Statewide, there were 192 operating dispensaries as of March 1, 2026.

The product rules do not bend for the city. Flower is sold for vaporizing, and smoking medical marijuana is illegal everywhere in Pennsylvania, decriminalization or not. Dispensaries sell no edibles. Our dispensary guide covers what to bring on a first visit.

If you live near the state line

Pennsylvania's law requires patients to be residents and has no provision currently in effect for other states' cards. A card issued in New Jersey or Delaware will not work at a Philadelphia dispensary, and a Pennsylvania card is issued only to Pennsylvania residents.

For other cities in the eastern part of the state, see our guides to Allentown and Reading. Your next step: open a registry account with your Pennsylvania ID, then book a visit with a registered physician.

Worth reading next

• How to apply for a PA medical card
• What the PA card costs