Ohio Board of Pharmacy officials Monday announced the approval of 56 medical marijuana dispensary locations across the state. But officials say the medical marijuana from growers won’t be available to the dispensaries and patients until after the expected September deadline.
The state pharmacy board says they received more 376 medical marijuana dispensary applications since 2016 when Governor John Kasich signed into law the state’s medical marijuana program.
The 56 dispensaries approved by the state pharmacy board Monday include several Miami Valley locations in Dayton, Riverside, Beavercreek, Lebanon and Cincinnati.
Ali Simon with the pharmacy board says dispensaries will have six months to establish their business and demonstrate they’ll be able to operate within the guidelines developed by the state.
“As part of the application process, they did provide a significant business plan, information about [an] operations plan, patient care plan," she said. "So, if they’re ready, our board of pharmacy agents are prepared, they’re trained, they’re ready to go out and conduct an inspection the minute a dispensary calls us.”
The dispensaries may be ready to go by the September 8th deadline set by the state but on Tuesday, the Ohio Department of Commerce (DOC) said none of the 25 state-licensed cultivators will have medical marijuana to dispense. They cited delays due to weather and facility construction issues.
Cultivators received their provisional licenses in November, however, the DOC says only one cultivator has undergone the required state inspection. Officials did not indicate when the state medical marijuana program will be fully functioning.
