Three companies are vying for licenses to grow and process medical marijuana in Bedford County, state Department of Health records show.

PharmaCann Penn Plant LLC and Pure Keystone LLC submitted applications to the state Health Department for facilities that would be located in Bedford Township.

In addition, Maryland-based Green Leaf Medical LLC has again applied for a license to grow marijuana in the former Seton plant in Saxton. Green Leaf narrowly missed out on getting a license for the Saxton site in the first round of licensing.

The companies are three of 16 grower processor applicants for the state’s south central region. The state is divided into six regions.

The Department of Health will begin the evaluation process soon and issue permits at the end of this year, according to April Hutcheson, the agency’s director of communications.

The state can award 13 more grower processor licenses to the 12 currently in place.

“A grower processor license in Bedford County would have a very positive impact on our local economy,” said Bette Slayton, Bedford County Development Association president. “It would add new jobs, new tax revenues and have tremendous spinoff opportunities for our existing businesses. Additionally, applicants appear to be very committed to becoming active, supportive members of the community.”

Slayton said she is hopeful that the county will secure at least one of the two licenses, adding the industry “dovetails perfectly” with the county’s technical center’s agricultural life sciences curriculum.

Gregg Holtzman, Pure Keystone business development manager, said if the company receives a license for the grower processor facility, he expects it to bring more jobs to the community with an estimated 20 to 25 jobs at the start.

He added that Pure Keystone picked Bedford Township because of its central location. If issued a permit, the company would be able to sell major brand products to any dispensary in the state, according to Holtzman.

PharmaCann Penn Plant could not be reached for comment. Health Depart­ment records show Pharma­Cann applied for licenses in each of the state’s six regions, including Bedford Township, Johnstown and Bellefonte.

Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, expressed concern about the medical marijuana grower processor applicants. “None of us want medical cannabis or medical marijuana to lead to other drug issues,” he said.

­Topper pointed out Fulton County already has a medical marijuana processing facility and said he understands why Bedford Township is an attractive spot for companies to build these facilities.

“They are looking for high security, low traffic population areas for these. They are looking for places that have good transportation, good infrastructure, as well as an agriculture workforce. It is kind of a given that grow processors are going to look for rural areas,” Topper said.

He added the decision to grant permits for medical marijuana dispensaries and grower processors is not politically based, and that medical marijuana is still illegal at the federal level.

Topper also commented on his discomfort with giving powers to a non-elected entity.

“I’m always uncomfortable when you are giving more powers to a bureaucracy and less powers to the Legislature, which is the voice of the people,” he said. “A tight regulatory system is needed. I feel uncomfortable we were losing that process and that control.”

Medical marijuana can be used to treat 21 “serious medical conditions” as listed under the state medical marijuana act. Eligible residents can take medical marijuana in the form of a pill, oil, topical products, tincture, liquid and vaporization or nebulization.

Pure Agriceuticals LLC is seeking a grower processor license for a facility in Huntingdon County, which is also in the south central region.

In an application filed in 2017 during the first round of licensing, Pure Agriceuticals listed a State College address. In the first round, the company said it had an option to buy or lease a facility in Bellefonte if awarded the license.

Two applications were received for Bellefonte sites in the northcentral region. Sirona Cultivation LLC and Greentree Dynamics LLC both are seeking licenses in the Centre County borough.

Johnstown also has a pair of applications. Both Pharma­­Cann Penn Plant LLC and Terra Pharm Inc. are seeking licenses there as part of the southwest region. Terra Pharm also is seeking licenses in Harrisburg and Carlisle.

The Health Department evaluates applicants on a scoring matrix. Permits issued to companies must be renewed on annual basis, said Hutcheson.

Mirror Staff Writer Shen Wu Tan is at 946-7457