With the Ohio Medical Marijuana Program somewhat operational, below are a list of issues that needs correction. The biggest issue is the extreme cost of medical marijuana here in Ohio.
At last report, there were 83,857 recommendations with 78,376 registered patients and 55,617 Unique Purchasers who on average has made a little over 8 purchases at an average of $128.70. Given all that information, there are a number of serious concerns that are strangling the program’s success.
• Foremost is the excessive cost due to extraordinary high fees on the various business operations. This is directly reflected in the low number of purchases that have been made to date.
• The extremely slow process of the program becoming operational has caused patients to lose faith in the Ohio government's commitment to making this program a success. The administrative burden on the dispensaries has made long delays in making the program operational.
* Distance to the nearest dispensary is still an issue for some as a consequence of the slow process.
* Extra delays effectively increases the cost burden on the patients.
• The 90-day supply tracking program has been a mess. I commend Grant Miller for stepping in where he can and fixing individual patient’s records, but the system needs a major overall and to be simplified. OPN suggest a 90-day rolling average versus the current system that is prone to error and has everyone confused.
* Here is a small example, buying a one-day supply of three different Tier I products counts as 6 days. Hopefully, with proposed change to the rules on 3796:8-2-04 Part A and Part B of the supply rule will fix that issue.
* Buying a one-day unit of Tier I 45 days in a row will cause you to be locked out for the rest of the period.
• The depth of knowledge by the dispensary agents is uneven, some are knowledgeable, and some are not.
* Improve the educational level of dispensary agents and state employees as well. Perhaps attending some of the better conferences would be a benefit.
* There have been heavy-handed limits by the pharmacy board regarding educating the patients.
• The lack of reciprocity with other states, in particular with Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia is lacking and should be finalized by this time.
• Law enforcement needs training for interacting with card holding patients with marijuana or marijuana from an out of state source.
• Good product labeling is important for those with food sensitivities. Suggest similar format to foods or supplements to include active and inactive ingredients
• Bedridden patients have a very difficult time to obtain a Medical Marijuana Recommendation. OPN recommends a change in the law to the State Legislature regarding Doctor's in-person only visit. There are homebound patients that cannot physically get to a remote doctor for a recommendation. OPN recommends a temporary emergency rule change to cover this situation.
• The Common Sense Initiative (CSI) review has been blind to the administrative burden that has been implemented.
