With the deadline having already passed for the Ohio medical marijuana industry to be underway, just about every cultivator with an official license has been scrambling to get their product ready. News 5 Cleveland got an inside peek this week at Grow Ohio's cultivation center in Zanesville, OH.
Grow Ohio is among nearly 30 marijuana cultivators spread throughout the Buckeye State. Several cultivators are currently harvesting cannabis, with many others undergoing grow cycles right now.
How Do Ohio Marijuana Cultivators Obtain A License To Grow?
Medical marijuana cultivation facilities are a necessary step in order for patients to receive the highest potency, best quality marijuana they can buy.
Marijuana grown in cultivation facilities must comply with strict regulations and guidelines, and must be tested for purity, so no toxic pesticides, spores, bugs or leaf infections are present. Marijuana grown in cultivation facilities can also be processed into other forms of mmj, including edibles, oils, waxes, creams and tinctures. The same goes for recreational marijuana that is grown in cultivation facilities where cannabis is completely legal.
Becoming a marijuana cultivator is no easy task in Ohio. Unfortunately, the Buckeye State does not allow home grows, meaning that hobbyists who enjoy growing cannabis will not be allowed to do so by state law. It is possible we will see a change in this law over the next few years, but until that time, home grows are out.
Large and small scale cultivation licenses are the only legal way Ohio allows marijuana grows at this time. Cultivators are split into two categories -- Level I and Level II cultivation. Level I cultivators are large-scale, with plants numbering in the thousands (8-15,000 plants), whereas Level II is granted to smaller cultivators (under 5,000 plants).
Sadly, Ohio's initial application period is currently closed. Applicants needed to submit their forms, along with a registration fee ($20,000 for Level I and $2,000 for Level II) to the Ohio Department of Commerce for review. The applications were then scored based on Ohio's rigid guidelines.
The top scoring applicants were then granted provisional licenses. These licenses become official after the facility has been inspected and meets city and state standards. The initial license fee for Level I is $180,000, $200,000 every year thereafter. Level II licenses run $18,000 the first year, $20,000 each additional year.
When Will Ohio Marijuana Dispensaries Open?
Because of Ohio's complicated business codes revolving around cultivating, testing, processing and selling marijuana, compounded with the usual government bureaucracy that slows movement to a crawl, several companies within the medical marijuana industry were severely delayed in starting their businesses. However, the tide is turning as cultivators are now preparing for the very first harvest. This means it will only be a matter of time until dispensaries open their doors and finally welcome patients.
We at Ohio Marijuana Card know how frustrating it has been for medical marijuana card recipients that dispensaries are not open just yet. As a marijuana card holder myself, I share your frustration. Safe, easy access to healthy medicine is what every patient is looking for, and medical marijuana patients are no different.
As always, our team at Ohio Marijuana Card will keep you up to date on all medical marijuana Ohio news so that our customers, readers and medical marijuana advocates are well-informed about all issues involving Ohio mmj. In the meantime, find out if you qualify for a medical marijuana card in Ohio.