The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy last week announced medical cannabis registered patient and caregiver numbers as at April 2019.
According to the Board, by the end of last month there were:
- 34,225 recommendations
- 31,075 registered patients with recommendations
- 2,386 patients with veteran status
- 1,216 patients with indigent s Status
- 171 patients with a terminal diagnosis
- 15,339 unique patients who purchased medical marijuana (as reported to OARRS by licensed dispensaries)
- 2,109 registered caregivers
The number of registered patients has grown dramatically since January, when there were just 3,575 who had activated their registry card. In March, the total number of registered patients with recommendations was 24,556; so that figure increased by more than 40% in April.
Medical cannabis sales kicked off in the state in January this year.
In other recent news from the Board, early this month it announced it had awarded two more dispensary Certificates of Operation, one in Lorain and the other in Toledo. The latest list of Ohio medical marijuana dispensaries with Certificates of Operation, dated May 1, indicates 15 dispensaries had certificates at that point.
Medicines must be purchased from a licensed dispensary as Ohio law prohibits the cultivation of medical marijuana for personal, family, or household use. Registered patients and caregivers are permitted to possess no more than a 90-day supply.
Unlike some other jurisdictions in the USA, Ohio does not recognize medical marijuana registry cards issued in other states, but this may change in the future on a state-by-state case basis.
Certified physicians in Ohio may recommend medical marijuana only for the treatment of a qualifying medical condition, of which there are 21 currently listed. Oil, tincture, plant material, edibles and patch forms of medical marijuana are permitted in the state, while smoking and combustion products are not. This doesn’t include vaping as using this method of administration doesn’t see materials heated to the point of combustion.
Currently, there are 470 certified physicians in the state who can recommend medical cannabis – back in January, that number was around the 350 mark.
Further information on the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program can be found here. It’s quite a comprehensive site, providing detailed information and resources for physicians, growers, processors and dispensary operators.
