LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: medical marijuana

  • Retail medical and recreational cannabis sales still prohibited in Loveland

    Retail medical and recreational cannabis sales still prohibited in Loveland

    As Ohio recreational and medical cannabis markets open to anyone over the age of 21 the City of Loveland still prohibits dispensaries

    Loveland, Ohio – On November 7, 2023, a majority of Ohio voters approved Issue 2 to legalize the possession and use of marijuana by individuals aged 21 and over, and the sale of marijuana by state-licensed dispensaries. The bill also created the Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) within the Ohio Department of Commerce.

    Under the provision an individual must be at least 21 years old to purchase, possess, grow, or use non-medical cannabis.

    The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) issued its first set of dual-use Certificates of Operation (COO) to 98 eligible dispensaries across the state on Aug. 6.

    Once an entity has received its certificates of operation, it is legally authorized to begin the sale of recreational (non-medical) cannabis in addition to medical cannabis. However, the issuance of COOs does not necessarily mean non-medical sales will begin immediately at every dispensary, as each licensee must determine when they will start sales based on factors including staffing, stock and other business considerations.

    In order to receive a certificate, dispensaries must show they are able to properly process adult recreational use and medical sales since there’s a tax consideration. In addition, licensees must validate that their security systems meet legal requirements and agree they will ensure as much as possible inventory remains available for medical patients. They also must validate employee training and have implemented updated employee badging.

    Recreational cannabis sales are subject to state and local sales tax. In addition, the initiated statute includes a 10% excise tax on non-medical marijuana purchases. The excise tax revenue will go toward a social equity and jobs program, mental health and addiction services, local governments, and the administrative costs of the Ohio Department of Taxation and the Division of Cannabis Control.

    As reported by WHIO News Center, over $10 million in sales was generated in just the first few days, according to the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control. “The tax money made from the sales will be divided into four parts. One of the biggest portions goes to local government, where they can use that funding for anything they’re approved for.” 36 percent of the taxes received will go to local governments that have recreational dispensaries.

    57% of Ohioans voted to legalize recreational marijuana in November but there has been nowhere to legally purchase it, until now. Ohio cannabis consumers no longer have to drive to Michigan or resort to the unregulated street market. The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control gave 98 dispensaries the green light to start selling recreational marijuana by giving them their certificates of operation on August 6. Ten Columbus dispensaries, eight Cincinnati dispensaries, and five Cleveland dispensaries received their certificates of operation on Tuesday.

    Dispensaries already selling medical marijuana were awarded the first round of licenses to customers without needing a medical marijuana card. Medical marijuana patients don’t have to pay the excise tax on the product.

    When the proposed recreational marijuana law was heading to Ohio’s November, 2023 ballot, Hamilton County submitted the most valid signatures with 1,914. Next was Franklin County with 711 and Montgomery County with 626.

    The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol’s statute also legalizes “home grow” for Ohioans 21 and up with a limit of six plants per person and 12 plants per residence.

    Consumers are able to purchase cannabis in the forms and methods of administration available under the Medical Marijuana Control Program. This includes the following:

    • Oral Administration: Oils, Tinctures, Capsules, Edibles, Sublinguals, Tablets
    • Topical Administration: Lotions, Creams, Ointments
    • Transdermal Administration: Patches
    • Vaporization: Metered Oil or Solid, Plant Material

    Although Ohioans are now legally able to grow marijuana, under current law there is no legal way to purchase plants or seeds until non-medical dispensaries are permitted to begin selling them.

    The following forms of recreational (non-medical) cannabis may be sold at dispensaries: plant material and seeds, live plants, clones (a non-flowering plant cut from a mother plant), extracts, drops, lozenges, oils, tinctures, edibles, patches, smoking or combustible product, vaporization of product, beverages, pills, capsules, suppositories, oral pouches, oral strips, oral and topical sprays, salves, lotions or similar cosmetic products, and inhalers.

    Prohibited in Loveland

    After Ohio passed Bill 523 that allowed municipalities to adopt an ordinance prohibiting “the operation of marijuana dispensaries” Loveland declared an emergency and did just that. The emergency was for the “…immediate preservation of the health, safety, and morals of the City of Loveland and is necessary to assure adequate regulation are in place prior to the effective date” of Bill 523.

    Loveland City Council, following a recommendation of the Planing and Zoning Commission, passed Section 1165.18 of the Code of Ordinances titled Marijuana Prohibition on December, 13, 2016. It states that, “Marijuana cultivators, processors and retail dispensaries shall be prohibited within all Zoning Districts” in the City.


    1165.18 MARIJUANA PROHIBITION.
    Marijuana cultivators, processors and retail dispensaries shall be prohibited within all Zoning Districts. (Ord. 2016-110. Passed 12-13-16.)

    [pdf-embedder url=”https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CH_Sharp@lovelandoh.gov_20240815_155103.pdf”]

     

    Becky Noel, the Permit Specialist with the Loveland Building Department  told Loveland Magazine that as far as she knows, there has only been one or two inquires to her office in the past year from individuals possibly interested in opening a retail marijuana dispensary in the City. She said, “Nobody has officially applied yet.” In order for an application to be considered, the Loveland code would have to be amended, including the zoning code.

    Permitted in Milford

    At first, Milford did as Loveland did and prohibited dispensaries, but has since given a monopoly to only one company by signing a “Host Community Agreement” with Cascade Southern Ohio LLC on Sept 20, 2022. Cascade operates their dispensary at River’s Edge under the name, UpLift. Milford Council decided that there should be only one dispensary within their corporate limits.

    Ohio Cannabis Dispensary Map

    Cannabis dispensaries are located throughout the State of Ohio. Use this map to help you locate one by name or location.
  • Ohio Division of Cannabis Control eliminates patient fee

    Ohio Division of Cannabis Control eliminates patient fee

    Beginning Wednesday, May 15, the Division of Cannabis Control (“DCC” or “Division”) will eliminate the medical marijuana patient and caregiver registration fee. Previously, patients paid $50 annually while caregivers paid $25, until the Division reduced the fee to one cent on March 4. The Division providing further relief to patients with the full elimination of the fee.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • Beginning May 15, patients and caregivers will no longer need to submit payment in the Medical Marijuana Patient & Caregiver Registry (Registry) when activating a new registration or renewing an existing registration.
    • To activate or renew a registration, the patient or caregiver must access the Registry, confirm the information provided is correct, and select “Activate Card” or “Renew Card.”
    • More information about activating or renewing a patient or caregiver registration, including registering with veteran or indigent status, can be found at www.com.ohio.gov/mmcppatients.

    MMCP patients are encouraged to remain registered with the MMCP. Doing so:

    • Ensures the patient is speaking with a physician about their qualifying condition and maintains access to medical marijuana at current operational medical marijuana dispensaries.
    • Provides medical marijuana patients access to discounts that may be offered at a dispensary.
    • Ensures continued access to medical marijuana and exempts medical marijuana sales from the 10% excise tax that will be levied on non-medical cannabis sales per the approved statute.
    According to a statement issued by the Division, “Employers have discretion to establish their own drug-free workplace policies. Some individual employers have chosen to take the status of an employee as a medical marijuana patient into consideration. Similar considerations have been given for individuals under court supervision who are a medical marijuana patient.”
    Patients and caregivers can find more information and resources at www.com.ohio.gov/mmcppatients.
  • Irritable bowel syndrome added to list of qualifying condition for medical marijuana

    Irritable bowel syndrome added to list of qualifying condition for medical marijuana

    BY:  – Ohio Capital Journal

    Irritable bowel syndrome patients can now use medical marijuana for treatment.

    The State Medical Board made IBS the 26th qualifying condition for medical marijuana under Ohio law, and rejected obsessive-compulsive syndrome and autism spectrum disorder as qualifying conditions during Wednesday’s meeting.

    “While this addition will help expand patient access to medical marijuana and help many Ohio patients with this condition, we are disappointed the board did not approve autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder,” said Charlie Trefny, the Ohio Medical Cannabis Industry Association’s director of government affairs.

    IBS is a chronic condition that affects the stomach and can cause cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea. It affects between 25 and 45 million people in the United States.

    Senate Bill 9

    This was the fourth time the State Medical Board has received petitions to add autism to the list of qualifying conditions.

    Senate Bill 9 would add autism, arthritis, migraines, spasticity or chronic muscle spasms, hospice care or terminal illness, and opioid use disorder to the list of qualifying conditions.

    State Sens. Stephen Huffman, R-Tipp City, and Kirk Schuring, R-Canton, introduced the bill earlier this year.

    Among other things, SB 9 would also expand permissible forms of medical marijuana to include pills, capsules and suppositories, oral pouches, oral strips, oral or topical sprays, salves, lotions, or similar items, and inhalers.

    Legalizing recreational marijuana

    There are currently a couple different ongoing efforts efforts to legalize recreational marijuana in Ohio.

    The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol submitted more than enough signatures needed to get a proposal on the November ballot that would legalize and regulate cultivation, manufacturing, testing and sale of marijuana to Ohioans 21 and up.

    The coalition submitted more than 220,000 signatures, well above the necessary 124,000.

    The proposal would also legalize home grow for Ohioans 21 and up with a limit of six plants per person and 12 plants per residence. The proposal would also impose a 10% tax at the point of sale for each transaction.

    Since the proposal was submitted by citizens through an initiated statute, it is not an amendment to the state’s constitution. Ohioans will vote on Issue 1 during Aug. 8’s special election, which would require a 60% supermajority of Ohio voters to amend the state’s constitution.

    Ohioans 21 and older would also be able to cultivate, purchase and possess marijuana if House Bill 168 passes. The bipartisan bill is currently in House committee.

    Qualifying conditions in Ohio

    These are the qualifying medical conditions that are eligible for treatment using medical marijuana under Ohio law:

    • AIDS
    • Alzheimer’s disease
    • amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
    • cachexia
    • cancer
    • chronic traumatic encephalopathy
    • Crohn’s disease
    • epilepsy or another seizure disorder
    • fibromyalgia
    • glaucoma
    • hepatitis C
    • Huntington’s disease
    • inflammatory bowel disease
    • irritable bowel syndrome
    • multiple sclerosis
    • pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable
    • Parkinson’s disease
    • positive status for HIV
    • post-traumatic stress disorder
    • sickle cell anemia
    • Spasticity
    • spinal cord disease or injury
    • terminal illness
    • Tourette syndrome
    • traumatic brain injury
    • ulcerative colitis

    Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on Twitter.

    Megan Henry
    MEGAN HENRY

    Megan Henry is a reporter for the Ohio Capital Journal and has spent the past five years reporting in Ohio on various topics including education, healthcare, business and crime. She previously worked at The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network.

    MORE FROM AUTHOR

  • Ohio senators mulling major revisions to medical marijuana system

    Ohio senators mulling major revisions to medical marijuana system

    BY: NICK EVANS – Ohio Capital News

    Ohio senators have filed legislation that represents a broad revision of the state’s medical marijuana system. Among the changes is language expanding access to the drug if a physician “reasonably” believes their patient’s symptoms would be relieved or they would otherwise benefit from marijuana.

    It’s a potentially massive expansion of eligibility for patients after years of piecemeal additions to the list of qualifying conditions. But for the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, a streamlined regulatory structure is the measure’s primary aim.

    “The biggest example is the Department of Pharmacy regulates dispensaries, and the Department of Commerce regulates cultivators,” Huffman described. “So if you own one of each you have to go to each one to make business decisions.”

    He notes the Department of Pharmacy will still manage a database of prescriptions through the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System, or OARRS, but most oversight will fall under the purview of a new Division of Marijuana Control housed in the Commerce Department. Huffman also believes the measure will encourage the department to offer more licenses as the market grows and put pressure on license holders to bring product to market rapidly.

    Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko has signed on as cosponsor of the bill. It doesn’t cover everything on his wish list — he notes it lacks employment protections for people prescribed the drug — but he sees it as an important step forward.

    “I know the need. I know what we did in 2016 was just the smallest of fractions of what was needed here in Ohio,” Yuko said. “What this bill does is trying to move us in the right direction. Is it all inclusive? Not even close. Does it cover all the issues I want covered? Not yet.”

    Meanwhile, the proposal is competing for attention with three recreational marijuana proposals — two in the Statehouse and the third at the ballot box. Huffman and Yuko both draw a distinction between medical and recreational pot, insisting that their measure and the other ideas are completely different conversations. But as the universe of qualifying patients expands, the distinction between recreational and medicinal gets blurry.

    One notable aspect left out of Huffman and Yuko’s measure are provisions for home cultivation. Both measures in the House make allowances for it. Democratic Reps. Casey Weinstein of Hudson and Terrence Upchurch of Cleveland would allow up to 12. Meanwhile Republican Reps. Jamie Callender of Concord and Ron Ferguson of Wintersville would allow six plants with up to two of them flowering. The ballot measure would allow home grown marijuana as well, capping the amount at six plants per person and no more than 12 per residence.

    Yuko doesn’t oppose giving Ohioans latitude to grow their own, noting some constituents have complained about long drives to a dispensary.

    “I think it’s fair,” Yuko said. “I think it’s fair.”

    As for a specific amount, Yuko said he’d leave that determination to “the experts.”

    But Huffman is skeptical of home cultivation. He worries it might support illicit sales or become a magnet for theft. He also contends restricting production to regulated growers is a consumer safety consideration.

    “I don’t know what other medicine you grow or make yourself at home,” Huffman says. “And so that’s why we’re staying away from home grown. It’s to keep the quality up.”

  • Yellow Springs breaks ground for medical marijuana facility

    Yellow Springs breaks ground for medical marijuana facility

    Yellow Springs, Ohio – With Ohio licenses announced just two weeks ago, Cresco Labs was the first to break ground and start construction on their Yellow Springs medical marijuana cultivation facility. Cresco said they will develop a 50,000-square foot “environmentally-sound” (nearly 85% renewable energy) greenhouse that will grow and harvest condition-specific strains of medical marijuana and produce non-invasive medical products for qualified patients.

    With over 100 applications submitted to earn one of the 12 coveted Marijuana Cultivation licenses in Ohio, Cresco Labs was awarded one by the Ohio Department of Commerce. Cresco’s successful application outlined an operational and regulatory compliance plan as well as a community support program offering scholarships and local financial incentives. Cresco Labs has successfully secured merit-based licenses in Illinois and Pennsylvania.

    “We are thrilled to be selected as a provider in this program and look forward to providing medical relief to patients across Ohio,” said Charlie Bachtell, Cresco’s CEO. “We plan to be the state leader in this industry by manufacturing the highest quality product, providing caring service to the patients and giving back to our home community,” he added.

    Karen Wintrow

    “After visiting their facilities in Illinois and meeting their team members, we knew that Cresco would mesh well with the values of the community,” said Yellow Springs Village President Karen Wintrow. “We look forward to working with Cresco as they build and staff their new facility and know they will be a valued contributor to the quality of life in Yellow Springs with jobs, tax revenues and community support.”

    Cresco Labs has also applied for a dispensary license and will apply for a processing license which, through extraction methods, will produce pharmaceutical-grade oral sprays, sublingual digestible tablets, transdermal patches and other forms of cannabis (CBD) oil available for sale to provide users with a consistent, controlled dosage. Cresco’s brand name products will be available at dispensaries across Ohio to patients that have been physician-certified with any of the 22 approved medical conditions.

    “Medical cannabis is a great fit for Yellow Springs as it combines our local strengths and values of agriculture, wellness and a progressive approach to medicine,” said Wintrow.

    Construction on Cresco’s 50,000+ square foot cultivation facility in Yellow Springs will begin immediately as their site plans and zoning have been pre-approved.