One of the lawmakers who sponsored the law that legalized medical marijuana in Ohio says it’s now time to broaden the program.
• Arthritis
• Spasticity or chronic muscle spasms
• Hospice care or terminal illness
• Opioid use disorder, and
• Any other condition a recommending physician believes medical marijuana would help.
“That’s kind of a catchall phrase that will use the doctor’s education to decide,” said Huffman, who’s also a physician.
State Sen. Sandra Williams, D-Cleveland, asked how Huffman compiled the enlarged list of eligible conditions, and how doctors’ discretion in prescribing for unspecified conditions would be regulated.
Huffman said the named conditions came from advocacy groups, and that prescriptions for medical marijuana would be monitored the same way all other prescriptions are.
“It’s up to the education of the physician to say this is a valid reason or this is not,” he said.
Among the bill’s supporters is Andrew Rayburn, owner of Buckeye Relief in Eastlake, Ohio’s first level one cultivator and processor. He also heads the Ohio Medical Cannabis Industry Association, and plans to expand his business.
“We will be opening our first dispensary around Feb. 1,” Rayburn said.
The number of Ohio patients eligible for medical marijuana is growing by 5,000 to 10,000 per month, but only 57 dispensaries exist statewide, he said. There is an “application window” for 73 more, Rayburn said, and that should help bring prices down.
“The ultimate pricing of our product occurs at the dispensary level,” he said.
Medical marijuana costs Ohio patients about $310 an ounce, “which is much higher than any other surrounding state,” Huffman said. A big reason many of those eligible never buy medical marijuana is that they just can’t afford it, he said.
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As of September, according to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, nearly 360,000 people in Ohio had been recommended for medical marijuana use, but only about 130,000 had active registration and recommendations. Altogether, fewer than 200,000 people had bought from licensed dispensaries.
Ohio issues two levels of cultivator licenses for marijuana. A level one license allows a growing operation of up to 25,000 square feet, while level two authorizes up to 3,000 square feet. Growers complained those levels were set when few people had qualified to receive the drugs.
Huffman’s Senate Bill 261 would write into law a September announcement from the Ohio Department of Commerce that licensed growers could apply to expand their operations. Under the new rules level one license-holders could grow on up to 75,000…
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