No. No adult-use dispensaries exist in the City of Akron, as recreational cannabis is listed as an illegal substance under Chapter 3719 of the Ohio Revised Code. Illegal substances may not be sold anywhere in Akron or another Ohio jurisdiction.
Yes. According to Article 38 of the Akron Municipal Code, medical marijuana dispensaries are permitted to operate in the city in compliance with HB523. HB523 legalized medical marijuana for qualified persons in Ohio. Akron residents may purchase medical cannabis in tinctures, creams, oils, topicals, vape, capsules, lotions, edibles, patches, and flower forms.
You can order medical marijuana online in the City of Akron. Section 3796:6-3-08 of the Ohio Administrative Rules stipulates that medical marijuana and medical marijuana products may only be sold in a direct, face-to-face exchange without the assistance of electronic devices. Hence, when you order medical cannabis from online weed dispensaries in the city, you may only pick up your order by visiting the dispensary. Recreational cannabis is illegal and is not sold online in the city.
Walking into an Akron medical marijuana dispensary will feel more like visiting a doctor's office than a pot shop. Only registered patients and caregivers are allowed to view and purchase medical marijuana and marijuana-related products. You will not be permitted to peek around if you are not a patient or caregiver.
Persons entering a dispensary in Akron will be required to show their registry barcodes, which can be displayed on their phones or printed out, as well as state-issued driver's licenses or other valid photo IDs. This requirement also applies to minors who are patients. Patients or caregivers will be buzzed into a waiting room once their IDs have been verified. Next, patients must complete questionnaires regarding their medical conditions, symptoms, treatment goals, and cannabis experiences.
A dispensary employee, typically called a patient care specialist or patient care coordinator, will accompany the patient or caregiver into the dispensing floor. Patients at some dispensaries may be permitted to have one companion in the waiting room, but the guest is not allowed to enter the dispensing area.
The employee will analyze the patients' information and needs before assisting them in selecting appropriate products. Patient care specialists usually have useful experience and knowledge about different strains of marijuana and what types of cannabis will work best for specific patients and ailments. They are prepared to assist even first-time visitors in understanding their treatment options. Ohio medical marijuana law does not permit smoking, but it does permit vaporization. Therefore, you can find a variety of vaporizers at Akron dispensaries.
After purchase, another employee of the dispensary will inspect the products purchased. The amounts will be documented in the Illinois automated reporting system, which keeps track of all prescribed controlled substances. According to state regulations, patients can only purchase 8 ounces of dried flower within 90-day periods, or 10 ounces for terminally ill patients. Marijuana must be packaged in opaque bags and cannot be consumed in dispensaries or public places. According to state regulations, all medicinal marijuana products must be preserved in their original, labeled packaging.
There are currently no laws regulating the operations of recreational marijuana dispensaries in Akron. Medical marijuana dispensaries, on the other hand, are permitted to operate in the city. The use of medicinal marijuana is not allowed on the premises of medical marijuana dispensaries. Before letting clients access purchasing areas, dispensaries must check their IDs and Ohio medicinal cannabis program registrations.
No Akron medical cannabis establishment may sell a customer more cannabis than is permitted by law. A medical marijuana facility in Akron may not be located within 500 feet of any K-12 school, public playground, public library, church, pre-school, child daycare center, or a traditional residential zone.
In Akron, it is an offense to knowingly or intentionally possess marijuana, except for individuals authorized to possess medical marijuana. Like many other states, the penalty for possessing cannabis depends on the amount of the substance possessed. The Ohio legislature decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Possessing up to 100 grams of marijuana is regarded as a petty misdemeanor, meaning no jail time is involved, and convictions are not included on an individual's criminal record. Still, violators will be penalized up to $150. Possessing more than 200 grams of marijuana is considered a felony punishable with fines reaching $20,000 and up to 8 years in jail. Persons caught driving a vehicle under the influence of cannabis will be charged with a DUI offense.
In 2016, Ohio lawmakers passed HB523, which legalized the use of medical marijuana in Akron and other Ohio cities. Medical marijuana was initially only available to people suffering from a limited number of diseases. However, the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (OMMCP) established by HB 523 has grown over time, with more medical ailments now being treated with medical marijuana.
In order to purchase medicinal marijuana in Akron, you must first register with the OMMCP. Persons under 18 who wish to participate in the program must designate caregivers to assist with purchasing and administering medical marijuana. Residents of Akron who have enrolled in the OMMCP may buy and possess up to 90 days' worth of medical marijuana. To determine what constitutes a 90-day supply under the OMMCP, visit the program's website to use the OMMCP’s 90-day supply calculator tool. Note that home growing of cannabis and public use of medical marijuana are prohibited in Akron.
To obtain a medical marijuana card in Akron, you must get an attestation certifying that you have one of the approved health conditions for which medical marijuana use is permitted in Ohio. The approved conditions are:
Cachexia
Traumatic brain injury
Hepatitis C
Sickle Cell Anemia
Terminal Illness
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
PTSD
Multiple Sclerosis
Alzheimer's disease
Epilepsy or other seizure types
Tourette's syndrome
Spasticity
Glaucoma
AIDS
Parkinson's disease
Severe, chronic, or intractable pain
Ulcerative Colitis
Spinal cord injury or disease
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Huntington's disease
Crohn's disease
Cancer
Positive status for HIV
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Fibromyalgia
The OMMCP requires that the attestation must be issued by a healthcare professional with whom you have a doctor-patient relationship. The issuing healthcare professional must be an Ohio-licensed physician with a valid Ohio Medical Board Certificate to Recommend (CTR). On the Ohio Medical Board website, you can find a list of licensed physicians with valid CTRs. If your physician is not authorized to issue medical cannabis certifications, you can use the OMMCP list to find an approved one.
CTR physicians have access to the Ohio patient registry, allowing them to enroll patients in the Ohio patient registry. Before enrolling you in the registry, your physician will ask you to provide a valid government-issued ID, such as an Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle ID card, an Ohio driver's license, or a United States Passport.
Once your CTR-licensed physician uploads your medical cannabis recommendation to the registry, you will get an email with instructions on accessing your registry profile. Following that, you can finish the application by paying the $25 application cost on your profile page. You may qualify for a discount on your application if you qualify for low-income or veteran status. See the OMMCP Quick Reference Guide for more information on reduced application fees. For additional information on obtaining a medical marijuana card, you can also review the application guidelines or the Frequently Asked Questions section of the OMMCP website.
In Akron, medical marijuana can be consumed in the patient's apartment without fear of prosecution or sanctions as long as the patient owns the residential unit. Otherwise, medical cannabis consumption requires the property owner's permission. Public use of cannabis for medical purposes is prohibited. The use of cannabis for recreational purposes is not permitted in the city.
Since recreational marijuana use is prohibited in Ohio, it is not available in Akron. To obtain medical marijuana in the city, you must visit a dispensary or buy it online. A quick Internet search using the phrase "marijuana dispensaries near me" can reveal the locations of medical marijuana dispensaries in the City of Akron. When visiting Akron medical marijuana dispensaries, you must bring cash and a valid Ohio medical marijuana identification card.
The average price for one gram of high-quality weed in Akron is $310.
Some of the most popular strains in Akron are:
Super Lemon Haze
Girl Scout Cookie
White Widow
Banana Daddy
No. In Akron, it is unlawful to smoke cannabis in public locations such as bars, schools, dispensaries, parks, sidewalks, and roadways. According to Section 3796.06(B) of the Ohio Revised Code, smoking cannabis is generally prohibited in Ohio.
An Akron medical marijuana patient with a valid medical cannabis card can purchase medical cannabis subject to the following limits in one day:
295 grams of cannabis-infused topicals; or
2.83 grams of cannabis flower; or
110 milligrams of Delta-9 THC in pill or tincture form; or
590 milligrams of Delta-9 THC for vaporization
A patient and the patient's caregivers are limited to no more than a 90-day supply in accordance with the two 45-day fill period process outlined in Rule 3796:7-2-04 of the Ohio Administrative Code. According to Ohio cannabis laws, Akron residents who are not registered medical marijuana patients may possess up to 100 grams of cannabis for recreational purposes without being charged with criminal offenses pursuant to Ohio cannabis decriminalization law.
No. Even if you have ordered weed from legal retailers in states where marijuana is legal, it becomes illegal once shipped to Akron. That is because crossing state boundaries with marijuana is a federal offense punishable with harsh penalties.
You cannot order recreational cannabis online in Akron, as adult-use weed dispensaries are illegal in the city. While residents may purchase medical weed online, the delivery of purchased products to buyers’ doorsteps is not permitted. Medical marijuana online orders may be obtained at the physical premises of the retailers.
Akron has no recreational weed dispensaries. While medical cannabis dispensaries operate in the city, such establishments typically close before 12:00 a.m. To find the exact operation hours for medical marijuana dispensaries in the city, do an online search using the term “medical cannabis dispensaries near me.”
There are no dispensaries authorized to sell adult-use marijuana in Akron. Hence, tourists cannot visit dispensaries to buy recreational cannabis in the city. Medical marijuana dispensaries in the city are only open to residents of Ohio locations.
Any person entering a dispensary in Akron must present their medical marijuana registry bar codes, either printed out or on their phones. Such persons must also provide their photo IDs or Ohio-issued driver's licenses. You cannot purchase marijuana for recreational uses in Akron, as recreational cannabis is illegal in Ohio.
The Botanist and Bloom Medicinals are the only approved medical cannabis dispensaries in the City of Akron.
Medical marijuana dispensaries in Akron are required to sell medical cannabis only to authorized persons. Hence, dispensaries in Akron scan the IDs of their customers to verify that sales are made to approved persons.
There are no approved recreational cannabis dispensaries in Akron. However, according to the Ohio Medical Marijuana Program, only two authorized medical cannabis dispensaries operate in the city.
Akron medical cannabis dispensaries do not accept credit cards. Transactions are usually completed using cash or debit cards.
You may visit more than one medical cannabis dispensary in one day in Akron. However, you will not be able to buy more than permitted cannabis quantities under Ohio law.
No. Cannabis dispensaries in Akron do not take health insurance.
Yes. Akron medical marijuana dispensaries are required by state law to keep track of medical marijuana sales on their premises.
You must be 18 or older to enter an Akron medical cannabis dispensary. If you are under 18, your designated caregiver will be required to help purchase medical marijuana. There are no recreational marijuana dispensaries in Akron.
The two state agencies responsible for regulating medical cannabis operations in the City of Akron are the Ohio Department of Commerce and the Ohio Board of Pharmacy. The Ohio Department of Commerce establishes the rules for licensing and regulating medicinal cannabis cultivators, processors, and testing laboratories. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy issues licenses for dispensaries selling medical cannabis and maintains the Ohio medical cannabis patient and caregiver registry. The Ohio Department of Commerce is at:
77 S High Street
20th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 466-3636
While the Ohio Board of Pharmacy is at:
77 S High Street, 17th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-6126
Phone: (614) 466-4143
Fax: (614) 752-4836
To report illegal cannabis activities in Akron, contact the Akron Police Department, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, or the Ohio Department of Commerce.