Pennsylvania’s budding medical marijuana industry continues to get nipped by regulations before maturity.

The state Health Department rejected the eight applications from marijuana growers to participate in the state’s medical marijuana research program, according to an announcement made by the state on Wednesday.

This isn’t the first snag in the state’s medical marijuana initiative. Wednesday’s announcement comes soon after a group of dispensaries filed a lawsuit similar to one made earlier this year. In that previous suit, a dozen state-licensed medical marijuana companies — including Cresco Yeltrah, which has a dispensary in Butler and a grower-processor facility in Jefferson County — argued that chapter 20 of the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act regulating academic clinical research centers and its suppliers would be undermined by commercial interests, with suppliers pursuing profit over research. A judge hearing the suit agreed and issued an injunction that halted the Gov. Tom Wolf administration’s medical marijuana research program.

The research program under Act 43 of 2018 allows for eight clinical registrants and, in the announcement, the health department noted that the registration process would begin anew in early 2019.

“We are disappointed that awards were not made, but must uphold the standards set out in the regulations,” said Health Secretary Rachel Levine in a prepared statement.