Buying medical marijuana in Ohio will require a knowledge of THC content, not just how many ounces of plant material or edibles are on the scale.
Proposed rules outlined Thursday by the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy would make Ohio the only state to determine how much medical marijuana can be purchased based on the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol the active chemical ingredient that produces a high it contains.
For example, people with qualifying medical conditions could buy 4 ounces to 6 ounces of marijuana plant material, but varying amounts of marijuana-infused oils, patches and edibles based on THC content, under the proposed rules for a 90-day supply of medical marijuana.
At the same time, Ohio officials are pondering whether the state program, which isn’t operational until next year, will be impacted by the Trump White House, warning that there will be greater federal enforcement of recreational marijuana programs. No details have been released.
Ohio’s medical-marijuana law does not include recreational use, nor does it allow marijuana to be smoked.
But advocates are concerned that a federal crackdown might impact the marijuana industry across the board.
"The vast majority of Americans agree that the federal government has no business interfering in state marijuana laws," Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a statement.
Tvert, whose organization remains active in Ohio after proposing then dropping a statewide medical-pot issue, said it’s important that the federal government maintains an Obama administration rule that federal funds not be used to "interfere in the implementation of state medical marijuana laws."
Ohio’s medical-marijuana law would allow only patients who have at least one of 20 specific medical conditions to buy and use marijuana, after they get a recommendation from a doctor.
The rules would allow purchase of 6 ounces of plant material with THC levels of less than 23 percent, or 4 ounces of plant material from 24 percent to 35 percent, the maximum allowed.
Patients would be permitted to purchase a quantity of vaping oil that contains 40.5 grams of THC; skin patches with 19.8 grams of THC; and edibles, oils and tinctures with 9 grams of THC.
Steven Schierholt, executive director of the State Board of Pharmacy, said at the meeting that setting quantity limits based on THC content is "the right approach because we’re in the middle of the pack of states that have adopted this. We’ve benefited from what other states have done and have the benefit of their successes and failures."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: State Rules For Medical Marijuana Use THC, Not Weight, For Purchase
Author: Alan Johnson
Contact: 877-734-7728
Photo Credit: Zbigniew Bzdak
Website: Dispatch
