Ohio residents have been raising concerns about the medical marijuana program in the state since their program first started back in 2016.
At Ohio Marijuana Card, we not only want to be your go-to medical marijuana card provider but we want to address the issues that many of you are having with how the state has been running the program for the last few years.
In today’s article, we will be addressing the issue of the qualifying conditions list in Ohio being too restrictive. We will be providing some insight into what Ohioans are feeling about the program based on the data from our latest survey that had over 3,500 participants!
The Beginning of Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Program
In 2016, Ohio passed House Bill 523 which legalized medical marijuana in the state of Ohio. There was overwhelming support that medical marijuana can improve the quality of life for many Ohioans dealing with medical conditions.
Although loads of excitement came along with the passing of this bill, it was immediately followed by a wave of concern.
Many citizens felt that the qualifying conditions list was too restrictive compared to other states with medical marijuana programs. People also saw that if they did have a qualifying condition and received their medical marijuana card, they not only had to travel long distances to find a dispensary but the products were much more expensive than they had anticipated.
At Ohio Marijuana Card, our job is to give you access to the best and easiest way to get your medical marijuana card but we don’t want to just stop there. We hear your concerns and we want to advocate for you!
Ohio’s Qualifying Conditions List is Too Restrictive
There are states in the U.S. that are referred to as “all conditions” states. This means that any and all medical conditions can qualify you for medical marijuana treatment. All conditions states, like Louisiana for example, have more robust medical marijuana programs since they are less restrictive on who can qualify for marijuana treatment.
Ohio, unfortunately, is not an all conditions state. Therefore you need to have a diagnosis of specific medical conditions in order to qualify for your medical marijuana card in the state. Below are the conditions you need to be diagnosed with in order to qualify:
This list seems limiting to many Ohioans. There are plenty of people within the state that would benefit from medical marijuana treatment that currently cannot access it since they don’t have a qualifying condition that is on the list.
For example, Huntington’s disease is not on the list. Huntington’s is a debilitating condition that has often been described as having Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ASL at the same time. Even though those three conditions individually are on the qualifying list, Huntington’s is not.
This list is not static though so there is hope that in the future more medical conditions will be added to the list. Every year Ohio’s Medical Board reviews applications for new conditions to be added to the qualifying conditions list.
Earlier this year, Ohioans were pushing for the Board to add anxiety and autism to this list. Both of these conditions are highly prevalent in Ohio. The Board overlooked these two conditions and added cachexia instead.
Many Ohioans were unhappy about this. Not because cachexia shouldn’t be added to the list since it is a debilitating condition that absolutely can benefit from medical marijuana treatment, but because Ohioans have been pushing for anxiety and autism to be added to the qualifying conditions list since the medical marijuana program first started five years ago.
The Medical Board stated that autism and anxiety would not be reconsidered until new research can be done to show how medical marijuana is a viable treatment option for these conditions. But this puts marijuana again in a catch-22. Since medical marijuana is technically a Schedule I drug, research is limited so this will be hard to do and will also take some time.
Ohioans are looking to the Medical Board to recognize the limitations built into the system and act upon them in favor of the qualifying conditions that Ohioans have been begging to be added to the list since the medical marijuana program began.
We Asked, You Answered
This year, Ohio Marijuana Card put together a survey to get answers from you directly on what you think about Ohio’s medical marijuana program! We had over 3,500 people respond and here are some of our results connected to the qualifying conditions list in Ohio.
We found that nearly 90% of those that we surveyed think that more conditions should be added to the list that qualifies a person for medical marijuana treatment.
We also asked what medical conditions you would like to see added to the list of qualifying conditions in Ohio and the number one response was overwhelmingly for anxiety.
In connection to this question, we also asked if medical marijuana has helped you with any other problems outside of your qualifying conditions and if so, what. The number one response again was anxiety.
These stats that we were able to collect in our survey shows how important it is for Ohio to expand their qualifying conditions list to be less restrictive!
Getting Your Card Can Still Be Easy
There is no denying that Ohio’s medical marijuana program has issues but the entire process does not have to be difficult.
Getting your medical marijuana card with us can be easy!
You can call our compassionate and caring patients support staff at (866)457-5559 to schedule an appointment or you can schedule one online. You deserve relief!
Doctors Who Care. Relief You Can Trust.
Here at Ohio Marijuana Card, our goal is to help everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
If you have any questions, call us at (866) 457-5559, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
Check out Ohio Marijuana Card’s Blog to keep up to date on the latest medical marijuana news, tips, and information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to join the medical marijuana conversation in Ohio.