Medical Cannabis Finally Available in Ohio

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]fter months of delays, medical cannabis will finally be available this week to Ohio residents—but very few dispensaries will be open for sales.

Ohio’s cannabis regulatory powers have dragged their feet for months, slowing down approvals, missing deadlines and having to deal with a lawsuit filed by frustrated potential cannabis business owners. The state’s grow operations didn’t get started until last summer, and the first harvests begun in December.

One of the only dispensaries that will be open for business is Cresco Labs’ CY+ dispensary in Wintersville, which announced Monday that it would open its doors to patients on Wednesday. The dispensary will only be selling bud since companies that would be processing cannabis into other products are not up and running yet. CY+ dispensary reminded patients to make sure their registration was complete, to bring a state-issued ID along with their barcode, and that they should expect a long wait for their cannabis.

The beginning of dispensaries opening is bringing relief for thousands of Ohio residents who have been waiting for years after they voted their approval. There have been over 3,500 medical cannabis cards issued in the state and counting after the registry opened last month. Doctors who are approved to recommend cannabis to patients that suffer from one or more of the 21 qualifying conditions can get a card emailed right after appointments.

“It was like a free-for-all. We had 4,500 people to register in two weeks,” said Marijuana Card manager Brooke Boyd, who said supply would eventually catch up with demand as patients can register and visit a dispensary after their appointment.

Greenleaf Apothecaries is expecting one of its dispensaries to also open this week in Danton and is prepared for the problem of limited product and the potential to sell out quickly.

“We expect that problem will solve itself as more processors come online,” said Greenleaf Apothecaries’ Katie Nelson.