Ohio’s Permitted Medical Use of Marijuana(HB 523)
• Began September 8, 2016 (25th state to legalize)
• Must be fully operational by September, 2018
• General guidelines by legislature
• Rules created by:
o State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy
o Ohio Department of Commerce
o State of Ohio Medical Board
Recommendation made by physician (not prescribed)
• Physician must participate in training prior to recommending
• Physician cannot recommend for themselves
• No age restriction (children must have parent approval)
• Physicians will track through OARRS (prescription reporting system)
o For following conditions
AIDS
ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
Alzheimer’s disease
Cancer
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (Concussion syndrome)
Crohn’s Disease
Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
Fibromyalgia
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Chronic or Severe Pain
Parkinson’s Disease
Positive HIV Status
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Sickle Cell Anemia
Spinal Cord Disease
Tourette’s Syndrome
Traumatic Brain Injury
Ulcerative Colitis
Permitted Medical Use of Marijuana Dispensaries
• Distributed through dispensaries (not pharmacies)
• Cannot be located within 500 feet of school, church or public library, etc.
• Individuals will not be permitted to grow at home
Forms of Marijuana
• THC: 35% plant matter or 70% concentrates (significantly higher THC than in the past)
• Smoking is not permitted
• Vaping is allowed (e-cigs can be used to vape marijuana)
• Edibles such as marijuana-infused medical gummy bears are allowed
• "Keef" which is a ground marijuana product that is sprinkled on food
• Tincture, which is a THC infused liquid that you can take or put into a beverage or coffee to get high
Employers:
• Employers will still be able to enforce their drug free workplace policies.
• They will still be able to fire a person for marijuana use
• Employee will not be eligible for unemployment benefits
Marijuana in the Community
• Increased ability for youth to obtain marijuana easily in their community
• Increase in adult marijuana use as well as youth marijuana use
o States with medical marijuana laws have shown a 3.43% increase in youth use
o Colorado has shown an 8.48% increase in adult use from 2006 – 2011
• Will employers be able to find workers who can pass drug screen tests?
o Marijuana is the number one drug detected in workplace illicit-drug testing.
Among the 7.1 million drug tests for the combined U.S. Workforce conducted by Quest Diagnostics:
55% of positive drug tests were for marijuana
14.6% for cocaine
9.3% for amphetamines
• Traffic safety
o Colorado: Legalized medical and recreational marijuana
2006-2011 – Traffic fatalities involving drivers testing positive for marijuana increased 114%
2006 – positive for marijuana -28% of fatal vehicle crashes involving drugs
2011 – positive for marijuana – 56% of fatal vehicle crashes involving drugs
• Accidental ingestion of edibles by very young children or pets
