The long wait...
As many of our readers probably already know, Ohio's medical marijuana program was signed into law in the fall of 2016, with the industry set to roll out on September 8, 2018. However, due to bureaucratic delays, legal hurdles and other unforeseen issues, this date has been pushed back indefinitely while the industry waits for cultivators to grow and harvest cannabis.
This effectively means that while medical marijuana is currently legal in the Buckeye State, there's nowhere a patient can obtain reefer, at least legally. We at Ohio Marijuana Card share the frustration with patients and customers as our staff and certified physicians only wish for their patients to obtain the medicine that will help them best cope with their ailment, be it chronic pain, fibromyalgia, PTSD, or any of the 21 qualifying conditions. And we are doing everything in our power to educate and inform our customers about delays and other issues that have arisen during this first year implementation of Ohio's medical marijuana program.
One of the most controversial delays in Ohio's program has been the Ohio Medical Marijuana Patient Registry, which was set to be turned on September 8. Much to the disappointment and frustration of Ohio's MMJ patients, the registry has remained offline for months now, even as I write this during the first week of November 2018.
Patient registry delayed by the state
Ohio law stipulates that the patient registry should be online roughly 60 days before the first dispensary opening. And with some dispensaries planning on opening their doors in December, should't the patient registry already be online?
If nothing else, the dispensaries that are aiming to open soon will need patients with official medical marijuana Ohio cards if they plan on having any sales. After all, no one without an Ohio medical marijuana card will be granted entry to dispensaries.
Alas, the patient registry has seen numerous delays. The primary reason for the delay came from the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy, who expressed concerns about turning on the patient registry and inspiring patients to break federal law by traveling to another state and purchasing marijuana from a MMJ or recreational dispensary, or buying marijuana off the street, which is still illegal under Ohio law. Delaying the patient registry was, in their minds, the best way to curtail that problem, and leave the state blameless if someone were to get arrested for doing just that.
How to register when Ohio's medical marijuana patient registry is online
So when exactly will the patient registry officially go online? A few new clues suggest that time may be coming very soon. In their November 2018 monthly meeting, the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program outlined the first steps they will take to turning the system online.
The OMMCP website will soon upload a video tutorial that will guide patients through the process of sending in their doctor's MMJ recommendation letter and $50 payment so they can receive their official Ohio medical marijuana card. Once this card is obtained, patients will be able to access dispensaries that will be opening across the state.
Your official Ohio medical marijuana card will be good for one year from the date you register. The state will not be prorating or factoring their delays. That means that if you get your card in December, but no dispensaries are open near you, they will not grant you any discounts or additional months on your card. Ohio Marijuana Card will keep our patients and readers updated as dispensaries open so patients can plan accordingly.
Please keep this in mind as well: there will be limited supply of product when dispensaries initially open. The reason for this is simple: only a handful of cultivators will have product ready. However, as 2019 unfolds, this supply problem will ultimately dissipate as more and more cultivators harvest their cannabis, processors get their factories online, and more dispensaries open throughout the state.
Update (November 13, 2018)
The Ohio Medical Marijuana Program has not yet activated the patient registry, but a video tutorial has gone online, as well as a few handy resources.
A few additional resources:
If you are an Ohioan suffering from one of these 21 medical conditions you may be eligible to treat your ailment with medical marijuana, which includes both THC and CBD products.
Click here to learn more about what Ohio Marijuana Card's state-certified medical marijuana doctors can do for you, or give us a call at 1-866-457-5559 and our friendly support team can walk you through the entire process, and set you up with an appointment.