Pennsylvania has ordered its Department of Health to reveal the identities of the panelists who determine who can grow and distribute cannabis products.
It was in June that the Pa. Department of Health awarded 12 permits to grow and process marijuana and 27 permits to distribute the medicines.
As part of the process, a secret panel that consisted of around 12 Pennsylvania state employees, reviewed and scored hundreds of applications for the business permits.
It was a process that many of the unsuccessful applicants criticized and were less than happy with.
It was this week that the Office of Open Records (OOR) decided to reveal the names, a decision that was in response to a reporter from PennLive who filed a formal request in May for the panelists’ names, job titles, and departments.
According to Erik Arneson, who is the executive director for the OOR, the Department of Health has 30-days to turn over the information or file an appeal.