Video shows steps to getting a medical marijuana card in Pennsylvania

A licensed medical marijuana grower and processor has created a short video tutorial for Pennsylvania residents seeking a medical marijuana identification card.

The company, Cresco Yeltrah, condensed the procedure into a five-step process, beginning with the message "Get ready for relief."

"As part of our ongoing education campaign, we have created this sharable, easy-to-understand video that thoroughly explains to patients the process of getting a card," said Charles Bachtell, co-founder of Cresco Yeltrah.

The company has already been approved to begin growing and processing marijuana in Brookville, which is in Jefferson County about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The company will open dispensaries in Butler and Pittsburgh's Strip District.

The state's medical marijuana program went into effect in May 2016 and is expected to be implemented by next year.

Under state law, patients can apply for a state-issued medical marijuana card if a doctor certifies that they have one of 17 qualified medical conditions, including epilepsy, cancer, multiple sclerosis and seizure disorders. Medical marijuana will be available in pills, oils, tinctures and ointments. The health department is regulating the program, which forbids smoking marijuana in dry leaf form.

Cresco Yeltrah said it will grow a variety of genetic strains in Brookville and produce an array of pharmaceutical-grade marijuana products including high CBD strains, vapor oils, transdermal patches and pills. The company plans a complete line of products to be available at dispensaries statewide by late January 2018.

Ben Schmitt is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7991, bschmitt@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @Bencschmitt.