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Law OHIO MMJ

Ohio regulators green light medical marijuana lab, clearing last hurdle to begin sales

Ohio regulators awarded the state’s first certificate of operation to a laboratory to test medical cannabis, clearing the last obstacle to medical marijuana sales.

North Coast Testing Laboratories of Streetsboro had its inspection on Wednesday and was deemed fully compliant with the state’s rules and the lab’s application, according to a spokesperson from Ohio’s Department of Commerce.

This approval means that the state now has operating licensees in all of the categories required for sales of medical marijuana to patients to begin.

The timing of product availability will be based on the actions of the licensees, according to the state’s commerce department.
“The industry can now take the final steps necessary to get medical marijuana on dispensary shelves, and provide patients relief in the very near future,” said Thomas Rosenberger, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association of Ohio.
 
Ohio patients started 2018 thinking medical marijuana would be available by now

Ohio patients started 2018 circling Sept. 8 on their calendar: the day Ohio's Medical Marijuana Control Program was supposed to go live.

But a few months before, it became clear delays getting businesses approved and licensed would delay the program's start indefinitely

"Rome wasn't built in a day and it's important to think about the context this program is operating in," said Lawyer Thomas Haren, who represents businesses in the medical marijuana industry. "This is a brand new industry here in Ohio."

The indefinite delay put the whole system in limbo.

In late December, the board that controls Ohio's budget gave the program a more than $4 million loan after the program had already pulled in roughly $5 million through application and licensing fees.

A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Commerce, who oversees much of the medical marijuana program said:

"There are two reasons we made the request. The state has had to defend the program against several lawsuits as the program has been stood up, so our legal expenses have exceeded anything we could have planned for. At the same time, we don’t collect license fees from the businesses in this industry until they become operational, and many of them have experienced business delays which have put serious pressures on our ability to collect the revenue we need to regulate this industry. The combination of these two factors put us in a position where we needed to request a loan from the state."

Ohio Department of Commerce
In the meantime, patients were left not knowing when they might be able to start getting medical marijuana for one of the 21 pre-approved conditions.

"I knew right away, as soon as I smoked it, that it was helping me," said Amanda, who suffers from multiple sclerosis.

Amanda was diagnosed in 2011 and says she's had to get marijuana on the black market to help her walk with less pain.

"Becoming sick shouldn't be a crime," said Amanda.

Amanda has an Affirmative Defense Letter from her doctor. It makes the case to the justice system that patients need the illegal product they might be found with. It's not a guaranteed defense, but it's at least a start.

Affirmative Defense Letters come from doctors like Dr. Noah Miller, who is one of Ohio's physicians certified to recommend medical cannabis. The entire medical community isn't completely behind the idea of using marijuana as medicine, but Dr. Miller says he's seen enough to recommend it to his patients.

"Many medical breakthroughs were made when someone thought outside the box," said Dr. Miller.
When doctors determine a patient needs medical marijuana, the patient's information is entered into the state registry. The patient or caregiver has to activate their card, allowing them to buy a prescribed amount of medical marijuana in dispensaries.

Apeks Supercritical's Joel Hatfield works with extract from beer hops to test equipment that will eventually be used to get medical marijuana extracts.

The "Plant to Sale" process starts in cultivation facilities like Grow Ohio in Zanesville or Agri-Med Ohio in Langsville.

"You don't have an end product without the cultivation part of it," said Grow Ohio Director of Cultivation Nick Cline. "You don't have food without farmers."

From cultivators, the raw harvested marijuana will go to processor to turn it into medicine.

Ohio Grown Therapies broke ground on their Johnstown processing facility just this year.

C.E.O. Andy Joseph's other company, Apeks Supercritical, has been making processing equipment for marijuana businesses in other states. Now, they'll be able to run marijuana through their own equipment for the first time.

Canisters mounted on a frame with next to a computer allows processors to extract parts of the marijuana plant that can be used as a medicine.

"It's also the combination of allowing us to do research and development in cannabis," said Joseph. "That's always been one of our biggest struggles."

After the medical marijuana is processed, labs will have to test the product to make sure it abides by state laws. The first lab wasn't approved to open until late December, meaning it only was a matter of time before the first product would get to market.

Clubhouse Dispensary General Manager Kayla Greenberg stands in front of the tables that will eventually display medical marijuana.

When that does happen, it'll be sold in businesses like Ohio Valley Natural Relief in Wintersville or Clubhouse Dispensary in Elyria. Clubhouse General Manager Kayla Greenberg says the early hiccups will eventually get ironed out.

"As it gets more popular, as more knowledge gets out there about how you obtain your card and the qualifying ailments, it's only going to grow," said Greenberg.

The glass cases that Clubhouse Dispensary will eventually install on their tables to securely display medical marijuana.

Ohio Valley Natural Relief is the first dispensary in the state to get approval to open. They tell News 5 they expect to be selling their first medical marijuana products in early January. The first few rounds of medical marijuana product are expected to be extremely limited and to sell out very quickly.
 
Here's a little better news for you Ohio....

Ohio Could Have Medical Cannabis Available to Purchase by January 15

Medical marijuana could be available to patients in Ohio as soon as Jan. 15, according to representatives of a cannabis dispensary and testing lab preparing to open in the state. Jason Erkes, a spokesman for Cresco Labs’ CY+ dispensary in Wintersville, Jefferson County, said the business should be ready to open by that date.

“We’re targeting the week of the 15th for the store in Wintersville,” said Erkes. “But everything has to line up.”

To meet that timeline, a cannabis testing laboratory will also have to open. Under state law, random tests for pesticides and purity are required before medical marijuana may be sold. Joe Moorhead of North Coast Testing Laboratories LLC said that his company passed its final inspection with the state and is in the process of validating its lab equipment with cannabis recently harvested in Ohio.

“Our drop-dead date looks like it’ll be January 15,” Moorhead said.


Flower Only at First
Initially, only cannabis flower will be available to registered patients at Ohio medical marijuana dispensaries. Smoking cannabis is prohibited under state regulations, but vaporizing flower and other marijuana products are permitted. Cannabis topicals, edibles, and extracts for vaping will also eventually be available, but none of the medical marijuana manufacturers that have received provisional licenses from the state have yet been granted a certificate of operation.

Erkes said that CY+ will open with a limited selection of cannabis flower from a small number of licensed cultivators, including a 40,000 square foot facility operated by Cresco Labs in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

“It will be a gradual rollout where there will be a limited supply of flower at first,” said Erkes.


Another cultivator, Buckeye Relief in Eastlake, Ohio, has completed two cannabis harvests and is ready for testing labs to come online.

Mark Hamlin, a senior policy advisor at the Ohio Department of Commerce, said that additional growers are expected to be ready to harvest soon.

“We’ve seen kind of the choppy beginnings in every state that has done this,” Hamlin said. “But we do think that what we are seeing from the other cultivators coming from behind that it’s going to ramp up pretty steadily even in January and into the spring.”


Program Behind Schedule
Ohio’s medical cannabis program was passed into law by the Ohio General Assembly in 2016 and was supposed to be operational by September of last year. But lawsuits, delays in awarding licenses to cannabis operators, and a lack of leadership from Gov. John Kasich have led to the rollout of the program to be four months behind schedule.

To qualify for the Ohio medical marijuana program, patients must have one or more of 21 qualifying medical conditions including cancer, severe chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis. Qualifying patients must receive a doctor’s recommendation to participate in the program.

In the first four weeks of operation of the Ohio Patient and Caregiver Registry, doctors have issued nearly 5,000 medical marijuana recommendations. More than 3,500 of those patients and caregivers have already activated their medical marijuana e-cards, according to data released by the state on Monday.

 
Here's a little better news for you Ohio....

Ohio Could Have Medical Cannabis Available to Purchase by January 15


Medical marijuana could be available to patients in Ohio as soon as Jan. 15, according to representatives of a cannabis dispensary and testing lab preparing to open in the state. Jason Erkes, a spokesman for Cresco Labs’ CY+ dispensary in Wintersville, Jefferson County, said the business should be ready to open by that date.

“We’re targeting the week of the 15th for the store in Wintersville,” said Erkes. “But everything has to line up.”

To meet that timeline, a cannabis testing laboratory will also have to open. Under state law, random tests for pesticides and purity are required before medical marijuana may be sold. Joe Moorhead of North Coast Testing Laboratories LLC said that his company passed its final inspection with the state and is in the process of validating its lab equipment with cannabis recently harvested in Ohio.

“Our drop-dead date looks like it’ll be January 15,” Moorhead said.


Flower Only at First
Initially, only cannabis flower will be available to registered patients at Ohio medical marijuana dispensaries. Smoking cannabis is prohibited under state regulations, but vaporizing flower and other marijuana products are permitted. Cannabis topicals, edibles, and extracts for vaping will also eventually be available, but none of the medical marijuana manufacturers that have received provisional licenses from the state have yet been granted a certificate of operation.

Erkes said that CY+ will open with a limited selection of cannabis flower from a small number of licensed cultivators, including a 40,000 square foot facility operated by Cresco Labs in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

“It will be a gradual rollout where there will be a limited supply of flower at first,” said Erkes.


Another cultivator, Buckeye Relief in Eastlake, Ohio, has completed two cannabis harvests and is ready for testing labs to come online.

Mark Hamlin, a senior policy advisor at the Ohio Department of Commerce, said that additional growers are expected to be ready to harvest soon.

“We’ve seen kind of the choppy beginnings in every state that has done this,” Hamlin said. “But we do think that what we are seeing from the other cultivators coming from behind that it’s going to ramp up pretty steadily even in January and into the spring.”


Program Behind Schedule
Ohio’s medical cannabis program was passed into law by the Ohio General Assembly in 2016 and was supposed to be operational by September of last year. But lawsuits, delays in awarding licenses to cannabis operators, and a lack of leadership from Gov. John Kasich have led to the rollout of the program to be four months behind schedule.

To qualify for the Ohio medical marijuana program, patients must have one or more of 21 qualifying medical conditions including cancer, severe chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis. Qualifying patients must receive a doctor’s recommendation to participate in the program.

In the first four weeks of operation of the Ohio Patient and Caregiver Registry, doctors have issued nearly 5,000 medical marijuana recommendations. More than 3,500 of those patients and caregivers have already activated their medical marijuana e-cards, according to data released by the state on Monday.
Yeah, yeah, yeah...I've been seeing one of these "any day now, really" articles about Ohio for quite some time. But, they still have a ways to go to waste time as bad as MD.
 
Take it with a grain of salt....written by a founder of a large multi-state cannabis operation with interests in OH. So...yeah, it will probably get better....but no, I kind of think he's white washing it a bit.


The outlook for Ohio's medical cannabis market after rocky first week of sales

The first week of medical cannabis sales in Ohio have been marked by short supplies, limited selections and some disappointed patients left without access to nearby dispensaries. To an outsider, it may seem like an early stumble for a new market.

I can say from my experience in other highly-regulated medical cannabis markets that Ohio is going to be just fine. In fact, it’s poised to be one of the largest U.S. medical cannabis markets and a precursor to further legalization in the Midwest states that have yet to legalize any form of cannabis use.

By the end of February, my company Grassroots Cannabis plans to open two dispensaries in Newark and Cuyahoga Falls under our Herbology brand. Nothing about the first week of sales in Ohio has us worried; in fact, every market has its growing pains and Ohio is very well-positioned for growth.

Ohio’s first week was textbook
On Ohio’s first day of medical cannabis sales, only four dispensaries opened their doors. For the seventh-largest state in the nation by population, that equates to a paltry one dispensary for approximately every 1,000 registered patients who suffer from one of the twenty-one approved medical conditions. Many patients are hundreds of miles from the nearest dispensary.

When patients make it to a dispensary, they are finding limited supplies of dried flower only and prices higher than neighboring Michigan. Perhaps the most unique aspect is the “Ohio tenth,” a “daily limit” prescribed by the state’s pharmacy board. The limit equates to 2.83 grams per dose, or a 90-day limit of eight ounces (the maximum amount to possess).

Many of the same issues have plagued the launch of almost every regulated cannabis market. But the issues are, in fact, to be expected.

Though patients have already had to wait since 2016 when medical cannabis was approved, the slow roll-out will better position the industry for success as awareness builds, more patients enroll in the program, and companies scale their operations. A phased roll-out will help to avoid major disruptions as witnessed in other new markets when cultivators and dispensaries have run out of inventory and been forced to close for weeks until the supply chain caught up.

Optimism for Buckeye patients
The learning curve for running a statewide regulated cannabis industry may frustrate anxious patients, but having a strong regulatory framework establishes the foundation for a safe, accessible and viable long-term program. These regulations ensure cannabis patients are not consuming pesticides, mold, or indeterminate levels of THC.

With 11.7 million people living in the state, there’s plenty of opportunity for the industry, especially as more cultivators, processors and retailers begin operating at full capacity this year. According to the 2018 Marijuana Business Factbook, Ohio’s medical cannabis retail sales will eclipse $300 million in the next few years.

Things will get better, not worse
One of the challenges of not having federally legalized medical cannabis is the varied regulations from state-to-state. As such, the supply chains and logistics operations must be tailored to each state’s regulations. Ohio’s industry will continue to improve with age. Product supply and options will increase, more dispensaries will open, and more patients will have access to the medical cannabis they need to manage their chronic and acute conditions.

There’s still work to be done. More physicians need to be certified to recommend medical cannabis to patients: just over 300 have registered thus far. More testing labs will be needed to handle the growing supply. And more dispensaries will be needed throughout the state to avoid cannabis deserts.

There’s no reason to think these conditions won’t be improved. Ohio’s medical cannabis industry is full of experienced operators from within the state and from neighboring states. It’s going to be a fast-growing market, and you’ll continue to hear more about it throughout 2019.

Matt Darin is co-founder and chief operating officer of Grassroots Cannabis, a multi-state cannabis company with operations in 10 states and growing. Darin has more than 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur and executive in the cannabis and commercial real estate industries.
 
Well, we (MJ legalization movement) did indeed use politicians greed for tax money to move legalization forward, but now the crows have come home to roost.

I think this pic is appropriate......Money Lenders in Solomon's Temple, El Greco.

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High prices keep many out of legal cannabis market

As Ohio’s medical marijuana industry finally takes off, some patients and advocates are griping about costs that put it out of reach for many people.

A steep price tag stems partly from the lack of competition, as Ohio only has seven dispensaries spread throughout the state, mostly in rural areas, experts said. Costs are expected to drop as more dispensaries open and the industry finds its footing.

In the meantime, patients openly acknowledge buying the drug on the black market while they wait for prices to come down. And without insurance to cover the expense, some worry that low-income people might never be able to afford medical cannabis.

The illegality of marijuana at the federal level hampers research into the drug’s medicinal qualities, but limited studies have made some doctors cautiously optimistic about the health benefits, even as they acknowledge more study is needed.

Several local patients said using marijuana has improved their quality of life, but they must stretch their budgets to pay for it or buy it on the street.

“I’m not using as much as I probably need to be using,” said Mary Alleger, 31, of Reynoldsburg, who said she uses cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and ongoing pain from a botched medical procedure.

Katherin Cottrill, 33, of Newark, has worked with the patient advocacy organization Ohio Rights Group to acquire a medical marijuana card, but said current costs keep her from even getting started.

“I would have to pay $200 to $250 (just to get a recommendation),” Cottrill said. “And then I have to drive to a dispensary and pay $50. It’s unreasonable for me to even try.”

Michelle Fox, who lives in Newark, uses medical cannabis to treat multiple sclerosis. Her fixed income means she has to choose between buying the drug on the street or paying through the nose at a dispensary.

“I’m on a fixed income,” Fox said. “It’s pricier (at the dispensary), but I don’t want to break the law. It’s a really hard choice.”

For now she rations her supply, she said, and hopes she’ll be able to manage if her symptoms worsen.

Insurance companies have so far refused to cover medical marijuana.

“Because these clinics aren’t under any kind of health insurance scrutiny, they are able to charge whatever they want,” said Emilie Ramach, founder and CEO of the Columbus-based Compassionate Alternatives, a nonprofit group that works with families to help pay for medical cannabis.

Just under 3 grams of medical marijuana costs about $50. Cannabis clinics charge between $125 and $200, and the state charges $50 in fees.

Marijuana is cheaper on the street, patients said.

“On the black market you can buy an ounce for $200,” said Robert Doyle, 61, of Newark, who has a medical marijuana card but still buys the drug on the street due to the cost. There are about 28 grams in an ounce.

Doyle said he’s visited dispensaries in Michigan with prices comparable to the black market, making him confident Ohio’s costs will eventually fall.

Nonprofit groups are helping low-income patients, but their reach is limited. Compassionate Alternatives has helped around 10 families and two caregivers pay for medical marijuana, Ramach said.

“We would like to help as many people as we can,” she said, but the group depends on donations. The group is only a few months old, and volunteers have attended industry events, worked with medicinal cannabis clinics and are active on social media to raise money.

But even if prices drop, clinic costs and fees will remain a barrier for some, Cottrill said.

“What about low-income people who are desperately seeking medication?” she said. “They can’t even afford to pay $50 to get their card registered.”
 
Guns or cannabis? Ohio patients must choose

Guns or cannabis?

That's the choice facing some medical marijuana patients as the first legal cannabis dispensaries in the Cincinnati area prepare to open in the coming weeks.

Federal law prohibits gun purchases or the possession of firearms by illegal drug users or addicts.

Surely, that doesn't include registered medical marijuana patients in Ohio, does it?

Yup.

Federal law, which supersedes state statues, still classifies marijuana as an illegal Schedule 1 controlled substance.

Consequently, using or possessing marijuana and firearms at the same time is illegal, regardless of whether the state has passed legislation authorizing marijuana use for medicinal purposes.

"If I had a concealed carry (weapons permit) and medical marijuana, I would be very careful,'' said Shelby County Sheriff John Lenhart, who sits on Ohio's medical marijuana advisory committee. “I think citizens need to know there’s a possibility of getting into harm’s way.''

Most medical marijuana patients are unlikely to face charges for simply owning a gun and keeping it in their home, Lenhart said.

But he advised those patients applying to purchase firearms or carry concealed handguns to tread carefully.

Lenhart fears some patients may be tempted to skip questions about drugs during background checks because their medical marijuana use has been approved by the state.

And the forms used for background checks aren't always clear about who should check "yes'' when asked if they are an "unlawful user of, or addicted to'' marijuana or any other controlled substance.

Form 4473 - used by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for background checks on firearm purchasers - carries a warning that medical marijuana is still considered federally illegal, without exception.

But the Ohio application for a license to carry a concealed handgun does not.

Omitting your medical marijuana use, even out of ignorance of the law, could leave you vulnerable to prosecution if it ever arises in court, said Paul Laufman, a criminal defense attorney in Cincinnati.

Lying on a background check form is a felony that can bring up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

"People who are going to combine medical marijuana and guns are saying, OK, I'm making some decisions that could have some legal repercussions,'' Laufman said. "This is all still somewhat of a gray area. Everything you're doing here, you''re doing somewhat at your own peril.''

'We're trying to get answers'
The situation has created a conundrum for law enforcement officers across the country, particularly county sheriffs, who have the final say on who gets a concealed carry license.

In Ohio, county sheriffs issued 69,375 new licenses and 98,927 renewals last year, according to figures released Friday by the Ohio Attorney General's office.

Overall, there are nearly 673,000 concealed carry license holders in the state, or about 1 in 17 Ohioans, based on Enquirer estimates.

By comparison, there were 12,873 registered medical marijuana patients in Ohio through the end of January, according to the most recent figures available from the Ohio Board of Pharmacy.

However, the pharmacy board estimated last summer that between 200,000 and 300,000 Ohioans will eventually register as medical marijuana patients.

And the numbers are expected to grow exponentially this year, the first full year of operation for the state’s Medical Marijuana Control Program.

New figures, including last month's registrations, are expected to be released later this week, according to a pharmacy board spokesman.

Problems related to gun ownership and marijuana haven't become a major issue yet, according to Butler County Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer.

But it's clearly on law enforcement's radar.

"We're trying to get answers before it becomes an issue on the street,'' Dwyer said.

In the meantime, Butler County deputies are unlikely to charge gun-toting medical marijuana patients with a crime, unless a deputy suspects they're under the influence of the drug while packing, Dwyer said.

"Carrying a weapon while under the influence, just like driving under the influence, is always a crime,'' he said.

However, the sheriff refused to speculate on whether his department would eventually start cracking down on medical marijuana patients buying guns or obtaining concealed carry licenses unlawfully.

"We will act according to the guidelines being given to us by the government and our (county) prosecutor,'' Dwyer said.

Facebook complaints, and a bill in Congress
Current guidance is ambiguous, at best.

According to an email from the attorney general's office, sheriffs "should follow Ohio and federal law...and must make decisions as to who gets a (concealed carry) license based on the facts in front of them at the time.''

There's just one problem with that advice - sheriffs can't follow both state and federal laws regarding guns and marijuana because they disagree.

Cannabis advocates say the only real solution is to remove cannabis from Schedule I of the U.S. Controlled Substances Act.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill recently introduced The Marijuana Justice Act of 2019, which would remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances and make it legal nationwide.

But similar legislation introduced over the past several years has failed to gain enought support to pass Congress.

Meanwhile, many gun owners and medical marijuana patients say they feel like they're being short-changed.

In The Enquirer's Ohio Medical Marijuana discussion group on Facebook, some members worry that they'll have to give up their Second Amendment rights in exchange for medical marijuana.

Others say they feel like they're being singled out, noting that patients legally prescribed opioid pain medicine and other narcotics don't face the same barriers to buying or carrying a gun as they do.

"I understand where they are coming from,'' said Clermont County Jail Administrator Joe Palmer, who also helps administer concealed carry handgun licenses. "These people (medical marijuana patients) are not criminals, per se. This is going to be a continuing issue until somebody does something for these people.''
 

New ways to consume medical marijuana will soon be available to Ohio patients


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ZANESVILLE, Ohio — More than 20 years of battling Crohn’s Disease pushed Mary Keonig to her wit's end.

"It's been a heck of a journey," said Koenig. "I've been through a lot. In and out of hospitals since the day I got diagnosed."

img-3102.JPEG

Koenig explains how using medical marijuana has made a noticeable difference in how she feels to the point that her boyfriend and families members have noticed.

But she found she could keep the intense pain at bay with a treatment still getting off the ground in Ohio.

"The medical marijuana actually helped," said Koenig. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I don't have any symptoms."

img-2221.jpg

Koenig shows the marijuana flower she purchased from a dispensary to help treat her Crohn's Disease.

In the roughly two months that Ohio patients have been able to buy medical marijuana from dispensaries, only raw marijuana flower has been available .

The raw flower has been grown by cultivators which, with a special license, have been able to sell that flower directly to dispensaries, after the flower is tested at state labs.

img-2305.jpg

Marijuana plants wait to be harvested at Grow Ohio's cultivator facility in Zanesville, Ohio.

With the state's first processor, Grow Ohio, getting its Certificate of Operation late last week, patients will soon have many more options for how to consume their medical marijuana.

"The reality is what's in here is what we'll be able to plug into our products," said Grow Ohio Director of Sales Josh Febus, showing News 5 the processing equipment.

img-2313.jpg

Febus shows the machine that will bottle Grow Ohio's line of topical medical marijuana treatments.

Grow Ohio will have a line of medical marijuana products that will include tinctures, oil in syringes, gummies, capsules, and topical creams. Until now, patients have been limited to purchasing raw marijuana flower, which they can only consume by vaping and may not help all the patients who have one of the state's 21 qualifying conditions to purchase medical marijuana.

img-2231.jpg

Koenig's vape and grinder sit with her medical marijuana container on the coffee table in her home while showing them to News 5. So far, patients like Koenig have only been allowed to vape medical marijuana because no other forms are available or legal.

"Different forms are going to be better for different conditions," said Grow Ohio Executive Vice President Justin Hunt. "For arthritis, a patient would probably prefer a topical over plant material."

For patients like Koenig, that means bringing new packages of Medical Marijuana home that not everyone might realize contains the part of the marijuana plant that gets users high, THC.

img-2315.jpg

Empty syringes wait to be filled with oils that patients will likely be able to buy in April.

"I had no idea until I got it," said Koenig, referring to how she'd store her raw marijuana flower once she bought it.

Koenig worked out a system where she keeps all her medication and medical marijuana in a part of her house where her 9-year-old knows she isn't allowed to go, and on a high shelf where her dog can't reach it.

img-2232.jpg

Koenig plays with her dog, who she makes sure stays away from the area where she keeps her medical marijuana.

Hunt says the packaging will help. The THC symbol is required on all packaging for products that have it. Then, there's the safeguards built into the design.

img-2312.jpg

The THC symbol tells patients and anyone else who might find the container this sticker will be on that the product inside has THC.

"With the tamper-evident, child-proof [lid], just like you would have with other medicines, other prescriptions, we want to make sur that kids can't get into this," said Hunt.

Ohio Code says medical marijuana should be kept in the container that it's purchased in at all times.

The Board of Pharmacy also has a set of guidelines for patients. You can find them here
 
Ohio Medical Marijuana Patients Claim Lack of Access is Leading to More Arrests

Medical marijuana patients in Ohio say that a lack of access to legal cannabis is leading them to seek legal cannabis from other states, and some are being arrested for their trouble. With Ohio’s medical marijuana program in its infancy, so far only eight dispensaries have been licensed by the state to provide cannabis to patients. With short supplies and high prices at those outlets, some patients are traveling to neighboring Michigan for their medicine.

Located near the Ohio border, Morenci, Michigan has three cannabis dispensaries to serve the town’s population of 2,200 residents. Abigail Mull, manager of Stateline Wellness, told local media that much of the dispensary’s clientele is from the Buckeye State.

“Since day one it’s been more Ohio (patients) just because we are right there on the border,” Mull said. “So it’s nice and convenient for them – they don’t have to go up to Ann Arbor or Detroit.”

At Cannakings, another provisioning center (as dispensaries are known in Michigan) in Morenci, manager Kyle Schaffner said that a majority of the people the shop serves are from out of state.


“We have 2700 patients – (Ohio patients) are probably 60 percent of it,” said Schaffner.

MMJ from Other States Not Allowed
However, state law in Ohio says that patients may not bring medical marijuana home from another state unless that state has a reciprocity agreement with that state. To date, Ohio has not entered into any such agreements, although the state’s medical marijuana statute requires regulators to make a good faith effort to do so. Patients like Kelly Toole, who have jumped the gun and been ticketed for cannabis possession by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department after purchasing cannabis in Michigan, have been confused by the delay.

“It leaves the patients in a bad area. It leaves them without a definitive idea of what they are allowed to do and what they’re not allowed to do,” Toole said.


More than half of those cited for cannabis possession in the county in recent months have been from another area.

“The only mistake I made in going to Michigan was going through Fulton County,” Toole added.

Patient Paradox
A spokeswoman for the state board of pharmacy acknowledged in an email the paradox that patients are in.


“For reciprocity, the Board has reached out to every state that has a marijuana program to review if a reciprocity agreement is possible. This included our neighboring states that have marijuana programs. At this time, the Board has not entered into a reciprocity agreement with any other state,” the statement reads.

“What a patient can and cannot do in another state depends on the relevant rules and regulations of the state where the patient is located. A patient cannot bring product into Ohio from another state unless that state has a reciprocity agreement with Ohio,” the spokeswoman continued.

Rep. Tavia Galonski, a Democrat from Akron, said that the situation may warrant a change in state law and the decriminalization of small quantities of cannabis.

“Isn’t it sad that we would make sick people with illnesses and injuries actually have to drive to another state,” Galonski said. “Maybe here is an opportunity for us to reduce some sentences to reduce some complications in the law like this one for people who have that registration card because they are ill or injured. I think we will be looking at that in the subcommittee.”
 
"The average price in Ohio has hovered at $480 per ounce"

Wow, that's even worse than MD when it first opened. We have a lot of sales and discounted flower. If you don't mind high teens THC %, its often available for $35/eighth and less if you buy a full OZ.

Good premium flower is still pricey. I bought a half today of Grease Monkey.....great indica leaning hybrid. The batch I bought out of today is tested at 31% (they test in 10 lb batches so it will vary a bit from lot to lot even for the same strain/same cultivator....bought it a month or so ago and that batch tested at 35% with great terp numbers but today's has even better terp %'s than the first purchase) and ran me $170. That still needs to come down, IMO. Too damn much money....Ohio is off the charts, though.


Chart: Ohio medical marijuana sales start strong, but not all patients are buying


patients-prices-dash-V4.png


Ohio’s medical cannabis sales are off to a healthy start, garnering $1.85 million in under two months, but high prices and limited access to dispensaries have restricted patient participation.

Since sales began Jan. 16, the state’s medical marijuana dispensaries have averaged $248,000 in weekly sales – a strong launch to a market estimated to net $300 million to $500 million annually when mature – but only 28% of registered patients have visited a dispensary.


Of the 19,395 who have signed up since the registry opened Dec. 3, only 5,465 unique patients have made a medical marijuana purchase.
This may be related to sales starting with only four dispensaries. Although nine dispensaries are now open, limited geographic distribution persists.

Another well-cited factor keeping patients away: high prices.

The average price in Ohio has hovered at $480 per ounce – substantially higher than per-ounce medical prices in bordering Michigan.

A Marijuana Business Daily analysis of pre-tax pricing found medical marijuana flower averaged $320 per ounce in Michigan dispensaries near the Ohio border during the first week of March 2019.

The considerably lower prices and the state’s reciprocity program are driving the trend of Ohio patients traveling across the border to purchase medical cannabis in Michigan despite the legal risks involved.

Current high costs stem, in part, from supply constraints, common in new and developing markets as cultivators come online. Prices in Ohio are likely to come down as the market matures.

Pennsylvania – a developing market entering its second year of medical sales – averages $480 per ounce while the mature medical markets in Massachusetts ($350 per ounce) and Illinois ($375 an ounce) are much lower.

Medical flower prices in Oregon – which faces downward pressure from oversupply and competition from a thriving adult-use program – are in the same price range as Ohio’s illicit market.

Here’s what else you need to know about the situation:

  • Initial sales in Ohio were restricted to flower for vaping as the state did not issue a certificate of operation to a processor until early March. The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (OMMCP) now reports 38 processors have been issued provisional licenses and are awaiting certificates of operation.
  • As of March 7, the OMMCP had issued certificates of operation to 16 cultivators, nine dispensaries and three testing labs.
  • Physician buy-in has been robust, with 413 registered physicians providing 22,276 medical marijuana recommendations by March 7.
 
What a mess. Next thing is OH politicians expressing surprise and outrage that their lousy med program can't compete with the black market.

Why aren't Ohioans rushing to buy medical marijuana?

Purcell Marian head coach Scott Kerr gets emotional when thinking about his senior class, the first class he was with since day one.John Snodgrass

Ohio's faltering medical marijuana program has exceeded in one area: signing up patients on the patient registry.
But most of those patients have yet to buy marijuana at one of the state's licensed dispensaries.

Of the nearly 20,000 patients who signed up in the first three months of Ohio's registry, only 28 percent made a purchase during that time, according to the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy, which oversees the patient registry and dispensary parts of the program.

On average, patients bought 6 tenths of an ounce during that time. That's not a lot. The pharmacy board considers a tenth a "whole day unit."

Ohio dispensaries have sold more than $2.47 million worth of marijuana since Jan. 16. But sales have declined over the last two weeks straight even as more dispensaries come online.

Ohioans waited a long time for the opportunity to buy legal marijuana here – why aren't they rushing to buy it?

Prices are too high
Several medical marijuana patients told The Enquirer the prices are just too high.

The average price has hovered around $470 per ounce in Ohio. That's more than double the median price in Michigan, where patients from Ohio and other states can use their cards.

And they're not expected to drop too much any time soon. Neighboring Pennsylvania, whose program resembles Ohio's, began sales about 13 months ago. The average price there is $480 per ounce, according to analysis by trade publication Marijuana Business Daily.

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Ohio medical marijuana sales.
More mature markets such as Massachusetts and Illinois have lower average prices, $350 and $375 an ounce, respectively.

There are several reasons why Ohio's prices are high. Among them:

  • There are few cultivators selling product to a few dispensaries
  • Ohio has some of the highest license fees in the country and companies have spent millions of dollars on state-of-the-art facilities.
  • Ohio has more restrictive rules for testing and packaging marijuana.
Dispensaries are far away
Nine of the state's 56 licensed retail dispensaries have opened. All are in the eastern half of the state

The closest dispensary to Cincinnati is a two-hour drive away in Jackson – Buckeye Botanicals. Before that store opened, many Southwest Ohioans drove four hours to Wintersville, on the eastern edge of the state.

It could be several weeks before a dispensary opens in Southwest Ohio.

Lorrie Callahan, a Dayton-area patient who has multiple sclerosis, gets messages every day from fellow patients who are frustrated with the program's slow rollout and lack of dispensaries in Southwest Ohio.

Callahan plans to make her first dispensary purchase Saturday at The Forest in Sandusky – a 5-and-one-half-hour drive, round trip. Driving for long periods of time is painful for Callahan; it gives her muscle spasms.

"Sunday and Monday I’m going to be absolutely nothing," Callahan said.

After then? Callahan said she'll probably wait to buy more medicine until a store opens in Dayton or Cincinnati.

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The future site of Care Med Associates LLC, a medical marijuana dispensary at 5149 Kennedy Avenue across from Madtree Brewing in Columbia Township, March 19, 2019.
Customer experience
Patients are also hesitant to travel far or spend big because of little problems others have experienced at dispensaries.

One big one: Ohio calculates its maximum supply differently than most other states. Patients are limited to a 90-day supply of marijuana, based on THC content of the product.

But that's not calculated on a rolling basis. Instead, the 90-day clock starts when the physician registers the patient in the program. If someone waits 30 days for his first visit to a dispensary, he will only be able to purchase 60 days worth of marijuana instead of 90.

The pharmacy board set that rule to prevent patients from breaking the law for how much medical marijuana they can possess, agency spokeswoman Ali Simon said.

"It sets the system up so the patient never could have more than 90 days at a time," Simon said.

Ohio's limit disadvantages patients who can't afford a 90-day supply – average price $3,760 – in one initial purchase or travel frequently to a dispensary, patients told The Enquirer.

Bill Schmitt Jr., an Ohio patient who lives in Bellaire, was surprised to learn he could only buy two day's worth of marijuana after buying only eight individually packaged "whole day units" a few weeks earlier. In addition to the "use it or lose" it calculation, the state's system rounds up the units so when someone buys three daily units, they're marked in the system as buying four days worth.

And dispensaries say another Ohio rule prevents them from listing their inventory, known as a menu, on popular websites such as Weedmaps. Schmitt said he can pull up the site on his phone and easily find out what's in stock at most Michigan dispensaries.

“I can find the exact medication I need before I go there, before I waste any gas, before I waste any time,” Schmitt said.

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Access to the dispensing room at the Ohio Cannabis Company medical marijuana dispensary is restricted.
Limited product selection
The only medical marijuana available is the dried flower form. Marijuana bud is typically smoked, but Ohio law only allows vaporizing plant material.

Oils, tinctures, lotions, patches and marijuana-infused foods – which are preferred by many patients – are not yet on dispensary shelves.

Dr. Timothy Thress, a Cincinnati doctor who sees patients through Ohio Medical Card, said some patients, such as those with heart conditions, shouldn't be vaping their medicine.

"A lot of people aren’t getting their cards yet because they don’t want to pay money and not use it," Thress said.

While many patients still rely on black market products or travel to Michigan and other states, those are not options for many patients.

L.A., a Southwest Ohio woman who asked not to be named, has a rare disease and can't risk her marijuana being contaminated. All Ohio medical marijuana is tested for safety and purity and labeled with the amounts of cannabinoids, the active compounds in marijuana, each contains. She also can't vape because of her asthma and cannot travel by car for long periods of time.

"I can’t use my (medical marijuana) card," she said. "It’s been a lot of money that basically went down the tubes."

Marijuana-infused products are expected on dispensary shelves next month.

Grow Ohio Pharmaceuticals became the first of 39 state-licensed processors to get approval to open. The company also operates a large grow site at its Zanesville-area location and will use all its harvested flower to make marijuana-infused products, said executive vice president Justin Hunt.

Hunt said he hopes to have oils and tinctures available later this month and next month produce marijuana-infused gummy candy.

Standard Wellness in Gibsonburg, in the Northwestern corner of the state, was the second processor to get approval. It plans to have oils, tinctures, edibles and topicals in dispensaries next month.
 
Ohio: Cincinnati Council Members Vote to Eliminate Marijuana Possession Penalties

Cincinnati, OH: Members of the Cincinnati City Council have voted 5 to 3 in favor of a municipal measure eliminating criminal and civil penalties for marijuana possession. The new local law takes effect on July 12.

Under the ordinance, activities involving the possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana will no longer be subject to local penalties. Cincinnati is one of a growing number of Ohio municipalities, including Athens and Toledo, to eliminate marijuana possession penalties.

State Attorney General Dave Yost criticized the city's decision.

Members of the Council are also expected to vote imminently on a separate ordinance facilitating the expungement of prior marijuana possession convictions.

Under state law, the possession of up to 100 grams of cannabis is classified as a minor misdemeanor offense, punishable by a $150 fine.
 
Columbus proposes penalty for 7 oz. of marijuana less than an expired meter

The Columbus City Council on Monday unveiled marijuana reform legislation that would make the fine for being caught in the city with up to 200 grams — about 7 ounces — less than the cost of letting your parking meter expire.

Being caught with up to 100 grams would be a $10 fine; between 100 and 200 grams would cost $25. And unlike state law, up to 200 grams would not come with possible jail time, under the first reading of the ordinance. Over 200 grams would still constitute a felony.

Being caught with marijuana paraphernalia would also be a $10 fine, the ordinance says.

Council spokeswoman Lee Cole said the council could vote on the ordinance at its next meeting Monday, but first has scheduled a public hearing on the reduced penalties for 5:30 p.m. Thursday in council chambers at city hall, 90 W. Broad St. Residents who can’t attend or want to give feedback in writing can either take a survey at
www.columbus.gov/council/marijuanareform or send email messages to marijuanareform@columbus.gov.

“We want to know what residents think about on proposed reforms,” Council President Shannon G. Hardin said in a written statement released after the meeting. “We are having serious conversations about inequalities in the criminal justice system.

“There are two key elements to the proposal: lowering fines for small amounts of marijuana possession and increasing funds for Legal Aid attorneys to help seal records for minor convictions so Columbus residents can get good-paying jobs.”

Cole said the fine amounts were drafted by the council’s legislative staff, with input from various city officials, and could change before the final version of the ordinance is voted on.

“Given the racial inequities that exist with enforcement of marihuana laws locally and nationwide, the recent legalization of medical marihuana in the state of Ohio, and the number of recent ballot initiatives and ordinances liberalizing marihuana laws in municipalities such as Toledo, Dayton, and Cincinnati, (Columbus) Council has determined that the potential penalties for misdemeanor marihuana possession should be lowered from the standard set” by the state of Ohio, according to a background paper attached to the proposed ordinance.

Cincinnati council voted last month to do away with fines for up to 100 grams or about 3.5 ounces.

Ohio law imposes a $150 fine for less than 100 grams and a $250 fine and up to 30 days in jail for between 100 and 200 grams, according to NORML, the pot pro-legalization group.

Columbus’ proposed ordinance “will further the city’s efforts to address criminal penalties that have disproportionate effects on communities of color,” the background paper said.

The fines wouldn’t apply to “any person who obtained the marihuana pursuant to a lawful prescription issued by a licensed health professional authorized to prescribe drugs,” the ordinance says.

Being convicted under the new ordinance would “not constitute a criminal record and need not be reported by the person so arrested or convicted in response to any inquiries about the person’s criminal record, including any inquiries contained in any application for employment, license or other right or privilege, or made in connection with the person’s appearance as a witness.”
 
Columbus proposes penalty for 7 oz. of marijuana less than an expired meter

The Columbus City Council on Monday unveiled marijuana reform legislation that would make the fine for being caught in the city with up to 200 grams — about 7 ounces — less than the cost of letting your parking meter expire.

Being caught with up to 100 grams would be a $10 fine; between 100 and 200 grams would cost $25. And unlike state law, up to 200 grams would not come with possible jail time, under the first reading of the ordinance. Over 200 grams would still constitute a felony.

Being caught with marijuana paraphernalia would also be a $10 fine, the ordinance says.

Council spokeswoman Lee Cole said the council could vote on the ordinance at its next meeting Monday, but first has scheduled a public hearing on the reduced penalties for 5:30 p.m. Thursday in council chambers at city hall, 90 W. Broad St. Residents who can’t attend or want to give feedback in writing can either take a survey at
www.columbus.gov/council/marijuanareform or send email messages to marijuanareform@columbus.gov.

“We want to know what residents think about on proposed reforms,” Council President Shannon G. Hardin said in a written statement released after the meeting. “We are having serious conversations about inequalities in the criminal justice system.

“There are two key elements to the proposal: lowering fines for small amounts of marijuana possession and increasing funds for Legal Aid attorneys to help seal records for minor convictions so Columbus residents can get good-paying jobs.”

Cole said the fine amounts were drafted by the council’s legislative staff, with input from various city officials, and could change before the final version of the ordinance is voted on.

“Given the racial inequities that exist with enforcement of marihuana laws locally and nationwide, the recent legalization of medical marihuana in the state of Ohio, and the number of recent ballot initiatives and ordinances liberalizing marihuana laws in municipalities such as Toledo, Dayton, and Cincinnati, (Columbus) Council has determined that the potential penalties for misdemeanor marihuana possession should be lowered from the standard set” by the state of Ohio, according to a background paper attached to the proposed ordinance.

Cincinnati council voted last month to do away with fines for up to 100 grams or about 3.5 ounces.

Ohio law imposes a $150 fine for less than 100 grams and a $250 fine and up to 30 days in jail for between 100 and 200 grams, according to NORML, the pot pro-legalization group.

Columbus’ proposed ordinance “will further the city’s efforts to address criminal penalties that have disproportionate effects on communities of color,” the background paper said.

The fines wouldn’t apply to “any person who obtained the marihuana pursuant to a lawful prescription issued by a licensed health professional authorized to prescribe drugs,” the ordinance says.

Being convicted under the new ordinance would “not constitute a criminal record and need not be reported by the person so arrested or convicted in response to any inquiries about the person’s criminal record, including any inquiries contained in any application for employment, license or other right or privilege, or made in connection with the person’s appearance as a witness.”

Slowly but somewhat surely we're moving in the right direction!
 
Gov. Mike DeWine signs bill legalizing industrial hemp, CBD products


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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill Tuesday morning that legalizes industrial hemp and products made from its active ingredient, cannabidiol or CBD – which will begin a new agricultural commodity industry in Ohio.

“We believe the safeguards are in place,” DeWine said at the bill signing at the Ohio State Fair. “We believe it will provide more opportunities for Ohio consumers, more opportunities for Ohio farmers.”

DeWine’s signature on Senate Bill 57 doesn’t mean farmers can plant just yet.

They have to wait for Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda to write the rules for the program, said Jen Lynch, executive director of the Ohio Hemp Association, a trade group that’s advocated for the bill.

“She will have to get that approved by the USDA,” Lynch said.

After the bill was signed the Ohio Department of Agriculture unveiled a new website with information on hemp and CBD.

“We’ve got six people managing phones at the Department of Agriculture with the goal of educating the public,” said Pelanda after the bill’s signing.

Pelanda said she anticipates it’ll take about six months to write the rules and get them cleared by a committee made up of legislators who review agency rules. In August, she’s going before another board to ask for $12 million to get the program going. The money would be spent to create a hemp lab to test hemp and CBD products and for technical training.

Meantime, stores can now stock CBD oils and other products. Pelanda said food safety inspectors are going to markets, checking for truth in labeling, making sure what is out there right now is not making untrue claims.

Many stores have had products purporting to contain CBD on the shelves for years. But in some parts of the state, inventory has been seized.

The new law also outlines a process by which people can get their seized CBD products back.

CBD champions say its chemical compounds contain medicinal properties. People even give it to their pets because they believe it calms them.

CBD products under the new law can only contain trace amounts of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the active ingredient producing the “high” in marijuana.

Specifically – they can only contain a THC concentration of up to three-tenths percent on a dry weight basis.

Marijuana and hemp are technically different plants, but they share the same genus – cannabis. DeWine described hemp and marijuana plants as cousins -- related but not the same.

State law had lumped hemp in with marijuana and subjected it to state and federal drug laws. The federal government allowed states to implement hemp programs in the 2018 Farm Bill.

Lynch, of the Ohio Hemp Association, said she suspects Ohioans who will grow hemp will include both traditional agricultural operations and hobby farms.

“I can tell you a lot of the folks in traditional agriculture -- soybean and corn --as well as those who have access to land are interested in the hemp space for various reasons.”

Rocky River resident Garett Fortune plans to be among the first to apply to the state for permission to grow hemp -- a process that will require a criminal background check and proof of financial, equipment, land and facility abilities to get into the industry.

Fortune said he wants to grow hemp near Sandusky and process the plant to extract CBD in Cleveland. Fortune, owns a number of cannabis companies -- including hemp and marijuana packaging companies, one of which is a partnership with hiphop artist Snoop Dogg -- and grows hemp in a handful of states, including North Carolina,
Kentucky and New York.

He said that the No. 1 reason people are growing hemp is for CBD. Secondarily, people are growing it for fiber to make textiles, and to turn it into building materials, such as Hempcrete.

“It’s huge,” he said. “The soy farmers are replacing soy with hemp,” he said. “You can make a lot more per acre.”

Fortune said farmers can make $800 to $1,000 an acre on soy and seven to ten times that on hemp.

Last year, 25,000 acres of hemp were planed across the U.S. This year in Kentucky alone, Fortune said 50,000 acres have been planted.

“Prices are going to come down a bit," he said. "But also there’s such a demand for it that it’s not going to happen for the next three to five years. We’re on an upward swing, and then things will level out.”

 
First, read this:



And now this:

GOP Lawmaker Who Blamed Shootings On Marijuana Legalization Should Resign, Party Chair Says

The head of Ohio’s Republican party called on a state GOP lawmaker to resign on Monday after the representative wrote on Facebook that marijuana legalization is at least partly to blame for recent mass shootings. The state’s attorney general also condemned the social media post.


In the wake of back-to-back shootings that left 21 people dead in El Paso, Texas, nine dead in Dayton, Ohio and scores more injured, Rep. Candice Keller (R) wrote a list of factors behind the deadly incidents—including “acceptance of recreational marijuana,” same-sex marriage and violent video games.


“After every mass shooting, the liberals start the blame game,” she wrote. “Why not place the blame where it belongs?”


“While our nation was in utter shock over the acts of violence in El Paso and Dayton, Republican State Representative Candice Keller took to social media to state why she thought these acts were happening,” Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken said. “Candice Keller’s Facebook post was shocking and utterly unjustifiable. Our nation is reeling from these senseless acts of violence and public servants should be working to bring our communities together, not promoting divisiveness.”


Keller’s post, which has since been made private, was soundly rebuked by the state’s top cop earlier in the day.





“No, m’am. The blame belongs to the evil man who killed those people,” Attorney General Dave Yost (R) wrote on Monday.


An Ohio county sheriff and a local city councilman also condemned Keller’s post.








“Shame shame shame Candice Keller,” Butler County Sheriff Rick Jones wrote.


While it’s not entirely uncommon for politicians to take questionable pot shots at policies they oppose in the aftermath of tragedy (e.g. blaming hurricanes and other natural disasters on same-sex marriage), Keller’s take on the relationship between adult-use cannabis legalization and mass shootings is all the more confounding given that marijuana is not legal in either state that experienced shootings over the weekend.



 

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Did Ohio lawmakers accidentally legalize marijuana? Top law enforcers say yes

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Did state lawmakers accidentally legalize marijuana in Ohio? Some top law enforcers in the state say yes.

10TV was the first to break the news Wednesday that the City of Columbus will no longer prosecute misdemeanor marijuana cases.

City Attorney Zach Klein says the decision is based on complications after the state legalized hemp.

On July 30, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 57 into law.

It legalizes hemp in Ohio, giving Ohio farmers a new crop and new source of revenue.

The law changes the definition of marijuana to exclude hemp, based on the amount of THC — the chemical that gets you high.

A THC level of .3 percent or less is hemp and legal. A THC level of over .3 percent is marijuana, still illegal in Ohio.

"Now we have to be able to distinguish the difference between hemp and marijuana," said Jason Pappas, Vice President of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police. "That is not possible for a human being to do, that has to be done through crime analysis."

The problem is, most, if not all, crime labs in Ohio can only detect the presence of THC, not the quantity of it.

That includes the Columbus police lab and BCI state crime lab.

"Until these testing requirements are fixed and until we get some additional training and resources available to us, it's going to be very difficult to go after any marijuana cases in Ohio," he said.

Glenn McEntyre: "What's the end result of that, effectively?"

Jason Pappas: "You legalized marijuana in Ohio for a time being."

Glenn McEntyre: "That's what lawmakers have done?"

Jason Pappas: "That's what I see today."

Last week, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sent a letter to every prosecutor in the state, saying in part:

"BCI is in early... stages of validating... methods to meet this new legal requirement," something they say "may take several months."

In the meantime, BCI is recommending prosecutors: "Suspend identification of marijuana testing," and "Do not indict any cannabis-related items."

The Executive Director of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association agrees with Pappas:

"This bill de facto legalizes marijuana in Ohio... at least for a time," said Louis Tobin. "We raised this concern with legislators during debate of this bill. It's disappointing those concerns were rejected."

The Columbus City Attorney says not only will his office not prosecute misdemeanor pot cases, but he's also dropping any pending cases.

You'll find more on that decision here.
 
"The board voted against adding depression, opioid abuse disorder, and insomnia in May"​
WTF...Insomnia? The most common use of MMJ next to chronic pain? sigh

Ohio Experts Withdraw Recommendation to Approve Cannabis for Autism, Anxiety

A committee of experts advising regulators in Ohio has withdrawn its recommendation to approve adding autism and anxiety as qualifying conditions for the state’s medical marijuana program. The action by the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program’s expert review panel on Wednesday follows a recommendation to approve the two conditions for inclusion in the program the committee issued in May.
After hearing additional testimony from four physicians and reviewing several letters opposed to the plan on Wednesday, the committee voted to reverse the earlier decision.

Dr. Michael Schottenstein, the president of the Ohio State Medical Board, is a psychiatrist practicing in the Columbus area. He is also a member of the review committee and opposed adding autism and anxiety to the state’s list of qualifying conditions.
“Approval feels premature at this time,” Schottenstein said after the committee voted to reverse course. “For the medical board, there should be consensus to do so among respected medical authorities.”

Committee member Robert Giacalone was also opposed to approving the recommendation.
“There is, at best, anecdotal evidence on the other side,” he said.

“The comfort’s just not there,” Giacalone added. “I’m hearing solid science on one side and, at best, anecdotal science on the other.”

Doctors Disagree on Proposal
Anup Patel, the section chief of neurology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, said that there is anecdotal evidence that suggests cannabis may be an effective treatment for autism and anxiety. But with no clinical trials showing that medical marijuana was safe and effective, Patel advised against adding the conditions to Ohio’s program.
“The reality is we should all still be held to the same standard of the scientific method,” he said.
Three other physicians also testified against adding anxiety and autism as qualifying conditions. Additionally, the board had received letters against the proposal from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, the Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association, and the Ohio departments of Health and Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Gary Wenk, a professor of psychology at Ohio State University who studies how drugs affect the brain, was one of two physicians who supported adding anxiety and autism as qualifying conditions for the state’s medical marijuana program He said that some research on animals suggests that cannabis can aid neural development and reduce incidents of self-harm in autistic children.
“I came down on the side of saying this is useful,” Wenk said.

Mom Left in Tears by Decision
Tiffany Carwile of Bryan, Ohio submitted the petition to add autism as a qualifying condition because she believes that medical marijuana could help her 5-year-old son. She was in tears on Wednesday after hearing of the committee’s decision to rescind the recommendation for approval.
“The medications our kids have access to now are absolutely horrible in comparison to cannabis,” Carwile said. “I am so heartbroken for Ohio. I am truly shaken to the core.”
The full state medical board is expected to vote on adding anxiety and autism to Ohio’s list of qualifying conditions at its next meeting on September 11. The board voted against adding depression, opioid abuse disorder, and insomnia in May while delaying the decision on anxiety and autism so new board members could be brought up to speed on the issues.
 

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