Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (OMMCP)

What is the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program?

HB 523, signed into law by John Kasich in June 2016, paved the way for medical marijuana use by qualified residents in Ohio. The law created a medical marijuana control program (OMMCP) and tasked the Ohio Department of Commerce (ODC), through its Division of Cannabis Control, with licensing dispensaries and establishing a patient and caregiver registry. The Department also makes rules for the licensing and regulation of medical marijuana cultivators, processors, and testing labs. HB 523 also required the State Medical Board of Ohio to maintain a list of qualifying medical conditions and certifying physicians.

Per the provisions of HB 523, Ohio residents with qualifying conditions can purchase and possess up to 90-day supplies of medical marijuana upon receiving recommendations from Ohio-licensed physicians certified by the Medical Board.

The OMMCP is open to adult patients and minor patients who have designated adult caregivers to purchase and administer medical marijuana on their behalf. Caregivers must be 21 or older, be Ohio residents, and be approved by the state to care for minor patients. Regardless of age, patients and caregivers are required to register for inclusion in the Ohio medical marijuana patient and caregiver registry and obtain medical marijuana registry cards to participate in the OMMCP.

How Old to Join Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program?

You must be 18 or older to join the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program. However, if you are under 18 and have a qualifying condition, you can have your designated adult caregiver purchase medical marijuana on your behalf. When you are 18, you can buy medical marijuana at licensed dispensaries by yourself with a valid Ohio medical marijuana registry ID card.

Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program Qualifying Conditions

The following conditions are approved to be treated with medical marijuana under the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program:

• AIDS

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

• Alzheimer’s disease

• Cancer

• Chronic traumatic encephalopathy

• Cachexia

• Epilepsy or another seizure disorder

• Crohn's disease

• Fibromyalgia

• Hepatitis C

• Glaucoma

• Huntington’s Disease

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• Multiple sclerosis

• Parkinson’s disease

• Chronic and severe or intractable pain

• Positive status for HIV

• Post-traumatic stress disorder

• Spasticity

• Sickle cell anemia

• Spinal cord disease or injury

• Terminal illness

• Traumatic brain injury

• Ulcerative colitis

• Tourette syndrome

Note that the Medical Board created an annual process through which members of the public can petition the Board to include new qualifying conditions to the current list of debilitating conditions that may be treated with marijuana.

For more information on when the next petition period will be open, see the petition page of the OMMCP website.

What Practitioners are Eligible to Recommend the Use of Medical Cannabis?

The following categories of physicians are eligible to recommend medical cannabis use under the OMMCP:

• Medical Doctor (MD)

• Doctor of Osteopathy (DO)

Must a Practitioner Obtain a License Before Issuing a Medical Card Recommendation?

Yes, certifying physicians must have active, unrestricted licenses from the State Medical Board of Ohio and also possess Certificate-to-Recommend licenses under the OMCP before issuing medical cannabis recommendations.

Do Physicians Need to Manage Patients Before Recommending Them for the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program?

Per Ohio medical marijuana control program rules, you must maintain a bona fide physician-patient relationship with the physician issuing your medical marijuana recommendation for the certification to be valid. Hence, you must be managed by the certifying provider before your medical marijuana recommendation may be valid.

Do Physicians Have to Join the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program to Recommend Medical Marijuana to Patients?

Yes, only OMMCP-participating physicians are permitted to issue medical marijuana recommendations in Ohio.

Can an Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program Practitioner Use Telemedicine for Patient Assessment?

Although OAC 4731-32-03 stipulates that a physician-patient relationship must be established via in-person visit, a medical cannabis recommendation may be issued via telemedicine once this condition has been fulfilled.

How to Find Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program Doctors

If your primary healthcare provider does not have a CTR, you can use the CTR Search tool on the OMMCP website to locate a physician authorized to issue medical marijuana recommendations.

How to Apply for the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program

To join the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program or the Ohio Medical Marijuana Patient or Caregiver Registry, you must first visit a physician with a certificate to recommend. If you have a bona fide physician-patient relationship with the physician, you can obtain a valid medical marijuana recommendation, which will be required to complete the rest of the application.

During your visit to the recommending physician, the healthcare provider will ask you to provide an Ohio driver’s license or another ID approved by the ODC to prove your Ohio residency status. The physician has access to the patient registry and will submit their recommendation to the registry directly to your profile. After, you will receive an email notification prompting you to log in to your profile on the patient registry. On your account in the registry, complete the rest of the application and pay the application fee. Beginning March 4, 2024, Ohio charges 1 cent for its medical cannabis card and joining its medical marijuana program.

If the OMMCP approves your application, you will get a medical marijuana card within 3 weeks. For further information on joining the Ohio Medical Marijuana Patient and Caregiver registry, see the OMMCP application quick reference guide or contact the Ohio Department of Commerce.