Allentown has 5 dispensaries licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. To buy at any of them you must be a Pennsylvania resident registered as a medical patient, with an active state card, or a registered caregiver. Adults without a card, including New Jersey residents with a New Jersey medical card, are turned away. Three of the five stores share the 18103 ZIP code in the city's south and west end.
Allentown anchors the Lehigh Valley's medical market, and its five stores are spread among five different operators: Apothecarium, Columbia Care, Curaleaf, Ethos and RISE. No company runs two here, so patients choose mostly by location. New Jersey's adult-use stores are less than an hour away on I-78, which is the source of most confusion about what is legal in Allentown.
All 5 Licensed Dispensaries in Allentown, PA
Most of Allentown's stores are on the main roads of the south and west sides, with one near the airport on the east side.
South and west end (18103): Apothecarium Dispensary on Hamilton Blvd, Ethos Allentown on W. Emmaus Avenue toward Emmaus, and RISE Dispensary on Lehigh Street.
West Tilghman Street (18104): Columbia Care Allentown, on the west side.
Airport Road (18109): Curaleaf Allentown, on the east side along the road to Lehigh Valley International Airport, convenient for Bethlehem and Whitehall patients.
Best Allentown Dispensaries for Every Need
Based on public Google ratings and hours, checked October 2026:
- Most reviewed: Ethos Allentown (4.6 stars, about 1,200 reviews).
- Highest rated with 100+ reviews: Columbia Care (4.7, about 640) and Curaleaf (4.7, about 530).
- Newest reviews: RISE Dispensary on Lehigh Street shows 5.0 stars, but from only about 40 reviews so far.
- Hours: Every store closes at 8 p.m. All open at 9 a.m. except Ethos, which opens at 10.
Visiting a Dispensary in Allentown: Card, ID, Payment and Hours
Carry your Pennsylvania medical marijuana ID card and your Pennsylvania driver's license or state ID; both are checked. Patients new to a store may be asked to schedule a first visit, so call first. Every dispensary has a pharmacist or physician available, at the store or by live video, during patient hours, which is a good time to ask about a new product form. Bring cash or debit. With every store closing at 8 p.m., after-work trips need to start early.
Allentown and Pennsylvania Cannabis Laws: Purchase Limits, Public Use and Driving
The ceiling for a patient is a 90-day supply. Department rules translate that into 192 units, where one unit is 3.5 grams of dry leaf, 1 gram of concentrate or 100 milligrams of THC in pills, capsules, oils, tinctures, liquids or topicals. A fresh supply can be picked up during the last week of each 30-day period, and a certification can set a lower cap or rule out certain forms.
Allentown menus list dry leaf for vaporizers, vape cartridges, concentrates, capsules, tinctures and topicals. Smoking is banned for patients, and edibles are not sold, though patients and caregivers may blend their medicine into food at home. Driving with any THC or metabolite in your blood can bring a DUI charge. At Lehigh Valley International Airport, federal law governs screening, and the TSA refers cannabis to police. See our Pennsylvania marijuana laws guide for the rest.
Cannabis Taxes in Allentown
Patients in Allentown pay no sales tax on medical marijuana, and we found no local cannabis tax in the city or Lehigh County. Growers and processors pay a 5% state tax that does not appear on receipts. See our 2026 cannabis prices by state for comparisons.
Medical Marijuana in Allentown
Lehigh Valley residents qualify through the state program: register online with a Pennsylvania license or ID, get certified by a practitioner on the Department of Health's registry, pay $50 for the card (no cost for many Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP, WIC and PACE/PACENET participants), and shop anywhere in Pennsylvania.
About New Jersey: New Jersey sells cannabis to adults 21 and older, including Pennsylvanians. But Pennsylvania law does not recognize those purchases. Bringing them back over the Delaware River is illegal possession without a Pennsylvania card, and carrying cannabis across a state line also violates federal law.
Status of adult use: Still illegal. The House passed HB 1200 by one vote in May 2025, a Senate committee rejected it 3 to 7, and SB 120 remains stuck in the same committee in October 2026.
Dispensaries Near Allentown
- Dispensaries in Whitehall: 2 stores just north of the city.
- Dispensaries in Bethlehem: 3 stores a few miles east.
- Dispensaries in Sellersville: 1 store south in Bucks County.
- Dispensaries in Reading: 3 stores southwest on Route 222.
- Dispensaries in Stroudsburg: 2 stores north in the Poconos.
The full list is in our Pennsylvania dispensary directory.
Allentown Dispensary FAQ
Is weed legal in Allentown?
Medical marijuana is, for registered Pennsylvania patients and caregivers. Recreational cannabis is not legal anywhere in the state.
How many dispensaries are in Allentown?
5, each run by a different company.
Can I buy weed in Allentown with an out-of-state card?
No. A New Jersey or New York card is not accepted; you must be a registered Pennsylvania resident.
How do I get a medical card in Allentown?
Register in the state system, get certified by a registered practitioner, pay the $50 card fee and bring the card to a dispensary.
Is there a dispensary near Lehigh Valley International Airport?
Yes. Curaleaf Allentown is on Airport Road. Do not take cannabis through airport security.
Can I bring weed from New Jersey to Allentown?
No. It is illegal to possess in Pennsylvania without a Pennsylvania card, and crossing state lines with it is a federal offense.
What time do Allentown dispensaries close?
8 p.m. at every store.
What is the best dispensary in Allentown?
Columbia Care and Curaleaf have 4.7 stars, and Ethos has the most reviews. See the ratings list above.
Does your dispensary need more visibility? Cannabis shoppers use The Weed Street Journal to compare stores, read strain guides and check the law before they buy. Advertise with us · Spotted a wrong address, phone number or hours? Tell us and we will fix it free.
How we build this list: Store names and addresses come from the Pennsylvania Department of Health's list of permitted medical marijuana dispensaries. Ratings, review counts and hours come from public Google Maps data. We refresh the list monthly and remove stores reported as permanently closed.