MMJ Businesses would like Ohio’s Medical Marijuana System to Grow

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the needs of medical marijuana patients have increased. The amount of increased anxiety that patients may experience, as a result of the pandemic, requires additional use of their allotted monthly prescription in order to feel at ease.

Medical marijuana dispensaries across the State of Ohio would like to see the program grow in order to better meet the needs of patients. Some individuals need to drive upwards of an hour or more in order to reach a dispensary and receive their medical marijuana products. These dispensaries that are serving local patients and patients making longer drives do not have the cultivation space to keep up with demands.

The Pennsylvania medical marijuana program began around the same time as Ohio’s program and is handling their patients’ needs far better. In comparison, their MMJ card program serves more patients evenly across the geographical region of the state. These two programs are fair to compare because:

• Pennsylvania began its program in August 2018 and Ohio began in January 2019.
• Both states use the same qualifying conditions for MMJ cards.
• The states are geographically close and have a similar population. Pennsylvania has 12,801,989 citizens and Ohio has 11,689,100 citizens.

Pennsylvania’s program has managed to grow faster to meet the demands of its patients. Pennsylvania has double the number of registered MMJ patients, 75% more visits to medical marijuana dispensaries, triple the number of allowed dispensaries, and nearly twice as many dispensaries open for business across the state. Current open dispensaries in Ohio would like to expand to meet their patients’ needs, but they have been unable to do so due to the state’s restrictions.

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy and the Ohio Department of Commerce oversee the MMJ program. Before any additional medical marijuana dispensaries can open and current facilities can expand their cultivation, they must be approved by the Board. Until these requests are approved, all patients across the state of Ohio will need to continue visiting the 51 open dispensaries.

While it will be some time before current medical marijuana dispensaries are approved to open and/or expand, it is incredibly easy to obtain an Ohio MMJ card from the comfort of your home. In order to be considered for your medical marijuana card, start by reviewing the list of qualifying conditions. If you suffer from one of these conditions, please schedule your telehealth appointment to meet with an approved physician. During your HIPAA secure virtual appointment, your doctor will review your condition(s) and validate your diagnosis(s) and then provide you with a recommendation. That is what is required to be approved for your medical marijuana card in Ohio!

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the Ohio MMJ card process.