Ohio’s Successful & Evolving Medical Marijuana Program Generated $725 Million Since 2019

It was 2016 when Ohio adopted a medical cannabis program, but it wasn’t until 2019 that it started making sales. In such a short period of time from the state’s initial sales to now, a local Ohio news station reports the state had brought in roughly $725 million in medical cannabis revenue. 

Regional general manager for cannabis operator company Acreage Holdings, Kate Nelson, explained to WKYC that Ohio’s medical program matured “pretty quickly. She’s also “very impressed at how much it’s grown as far as patient access goes, recommending physicians and products available.”

And Nelson’s right in terms of access and development. Ohio has made many adjustments and changes to its existing medical cannabis laws by including other conditions like autism as eligible. That bill was introduced by a Republican and Democrat, passing with a vote of 73-13, reports High Times. 

Democratic state House Representative and co-sponsor of the bill to include autism as an eligible condition of medical marijuana, Juanita Brent, said that the recent move is a “direct result of the needs and wants of the people of Ohio who are on the autism spectrum.” 

Brent further explained that the new bill will allow legal access to a “plant-based solution free from costly prescription medications or other outdated and sometimes harmful treatments.”

In addition, Sen. S. Huffman proposed another bill in late December that broadened the state’s medical program by allowing a physician to use their sole discretion and medical opinion to recommend marijuana if;

• “the patient’s symptoms may reasonably be expected to be relieved from medical marijuana.”
• “the patient may otherwise reasonably be expected to benefit from medical marijuana.”

While there have been many efforts to improve Ohio’s medical program, some other groups are trying to push the importance of full-fledged recreational legalization. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol gathered 136,000 signatures on a recent petition in favor of personal-use legalization. 

According to High Times, the signatures from registered voters appeared on the petition in front of legislators in January, which resulted in a four-month window that gives lawmakers time to consider whether they’d like to move the bill forward. 

Reports say Republican lawmakers are making that process a little more complicated than it has to be, which might result in the proposable appearing on the Ohio ballot come November.