Pennsylvania Medical Cannabis Society and Pennsylvania Medical Cannabis Industry Group Join Forces

PITTSBURGH (July 28, 2017) – The Pennsylvania Medical Cannabis Society (PAMCS) and the Pennsylvania Medical Cannabis Industry Group (PAMCIG)

are pleased to announce that both organizations have entered into a strategic partnership, resulting in unprecedented leadership and resources for the growing medical cannabis industry in Pennsylvania, according to a press release.

Lead by Executive Director Andrew Blasco, PAMCIG is based in Harrisburg and will provide lobbying resources at the State Capitol, complementing PAMCS’ grassroots efforts taking place in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and elsewhere through the state.

Co-founded by Thomas Perko and Russ Cersosimo, PAMCS was founded in 2015 with the mission of fostering a sustainable model for the cannabis industry through education and leadership. Through PAMCS’ advocacy, the organization was instrumental in getting medical cannabis legalized in Pennsylvania.

“We have been fighting in the trenches since the beginning with Andrew and are happy to enter into a strategic partnership with PAMCIG. It’s crucial that the industry stays pure and informed, and I think this partnership helps to facilitate that,” said Cersosimo.

"The success of any large movement relies on the sufficient division of labor. PAMCIG and PAMCS have their respective areas of expertise of legislative advocacy and broad-based, education advocacy,” added Blasco. “With our cooperation, we are able to build a better medical marijuana program on both Capitol Hill and Main Street America. This will showcase Pennsylvania as the example for future states marked by our efficiency and expediency."

With PAMCS’ focus on education, research and technology, it has also recently entered into partnership with a medical software development company and a state university to evolve public health through technology. PAMCS is currently in the process of developing HIPAA-compliant medical technology that will help educate doctors, increase patient population, and facilitate quick and efficient medical cannabis research. This software will debut on August 20th at the 2017 Pennsylvania Permit Awards Banquet in Hershey, PA honoring all of the successful awardees of grow/process and dispensary permits.

PAMCS has also partnered with Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) to provide educational resources and develop accredited college coursework. On October 10th, PAMCS and HACCC will host the first Medical Cannabis Education Summit, an all-day event covering a variety of topics ranging from branding to compliance and medical testing best practices.

Additionally, PAMCS has its sights set on helping emerging states legalize medical cannabis through the best practices that were successfully developed in Pennsylvania. PAMCS will be hosting a kickoff event on September 30th in Morgantown, West Virginia for entrepreneurs and vendors who are interested learning more about the industry. Future events are also being planned in Florida.

For more information, please visit pamcs.org and pamcig.org.