Medical marijuana is legal in Ohio and here’s what you should know

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – Medical marijuana is legal in Ohio starting Thursday, September 8 but it still may be awhile before you can get it locally.

And once it is available there will still be a lot of limitations.

There are a lot of steps before Ohio’s medical marijuana program is in full swing. In fact, it could take a couple years.

There is a “medical marijuana advisory committee” that has to develop rules and regulations for who can grow and sell medical marijuana, as well as how doctors can get certified to recommend it for treatment.

While the law allows people with certain conditions to begin using medical marijuana immediately, it’s not clear where you can legally get it.

Patients will have to get a recommendation from a certified doctor to be able to use medical marijuana. But rules for prescribing and distributing could take up to a year to be decided.

To be eligible you have to have one of the 20 qualifying medical conditions such as Parkinson’s, cancer or glaucoma.

You won’t be allowed to grow it at home. Smoking medical marijuana won’t be allowed either, but vaping is allowed.

The forms of medical marijuana that are acceptable are oils, plant material, patches and edibles, but the law prohibits any form that is “attractive” to children.

And medical marijuana can only be purchased at licensed retail dispensaries.

Also, registered patients and caregivers will not be allowed to have more than a 90-day supply at a given time.

The rules for where those dispensaries can set up shop are strict and being a registered user may not protect you from workplace rules.

We have a full list of the qualifying medical conditions on our website here:

The law does authorize that a person can petition the medical board to add a disease or condition to that list,

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