Legal status
- Medical Program
Get your medical card online in minutes!
Get started90 day supply
Illegal
6.5-7.25%Depending on county
Illegal
Application process
Once you have registered with Leafwell and been approved by one of our medical marijuana doctors online, apply to the state medical marijuana program. Receive your MMJ card and start shopping for your medical cannabis from a licensed dispensary.
Ohio has decriminalized adult use and possession of cannabis, but it is still illegal. Only those with a valid medical marijuana certificate can legally purchase and consume cannabis in Ohio.
2016
Medical Marijuana Legislation HB 523
John Kasich signed House Bill 523 to legalize the medical use of cannabis in Ohio.
The bill established a rulemaking process under which a “state-run or licensed system of growing facilities, testing labs, physician certification, patient registration, processors, and retail dispensaries.””
Cultivation of cannabis and ingestion by smoking is prohibited under the law, which permits use only in edible oil, vapor, patch, tincture, or plant matter.
Although recreational marijuana use is illegal in Ohio, there is an appetite to change the current laws and reform the criminal justice system in OH. Recreational, adult-use marijuana may become legal in Ohio, but this may take some time.
2015 – Toledo residents voted 70%–30% to depenalize misdemeanor cannabis offenses, with no fines and no jail time for possession or cultivation of under 200 grams, possession of hashish under 10 grams, possession of paraphernalia, and gifts of under 20 grams.
2018 – Dayton residents voted 73%–27% to approve an advisory referendum urging city leaders to decriminalize cannabis. City commissioners voted unanimously to eliminate all penalties for possessing up to 100 grams in January.
2019 – Cincinnati City Council voted 5–3 to eliminate all penalties for possessing up to 100 grams of cannabis except in public use cases. Columbus City Council also voted unanimously to reduce the penalty to a $10 fine for possession of up to 100 grams and a $25 fine for between 100 and 200 grams.
2020 – Cleveland City Council voted 15–2 to eliminate penalties for possessing up to 200 grams of cannabis.
Bellaire (2016),] Logan (2016), Newark (2016), Roseville (2016), Athens (2017), Fremont (2018), Norwood (2018), Oregon (2018), Windham (2018), Bremen (2019), Nelsonville (2019), Northwood (2019), Plymouth (2020), Adena (2020), Glouster (2020), Jacksonville (2020), and Trimble (2020) all have cannabis decriminalization ordinances.
The Ohio law lists the following medical conditions as qualifiers for a medical cannabis card:
With Leafwell, you can get your Ohio Medical Marijuana Card online in 4 simple steps:
You must be 18 or older to qualify for a medical marijuana card. Those under 18 may qualify as minors if they have a caregiver. Caregivers must be 21 years of age. A patient can have no more than two caregivers, and a caregiver cannot look after more than two medical marijuana patients.
The recommending physician, or a physician delegate, must submit the caregiver and patient’s name to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy medical marijuana patient and caregiver registry following their recommendation for medical marijuana.
Nothing in Ohio’s medical marijuana law requires schools to permit students to use medical marijuana on campus. The only mention of schools in the law is to ban the establishment of a medical marijuana dispensary within 500 feet of a school.
Connect with a licensed physician online in minutes.
Yes, telemedicine is legal in Ohio, and you can get certified for cannabis online.
It is illegal to grow cannabis in Ohio.
Ohio does not have medical marijuana reciprocity, so it does not recognize out-of-state medical marijuana cards.
An Ohio medical marijuana card is recognized by some other states with medical marijuana reciprocity.
The following states accept or recognize out-of-state medical marijuana cards:
However, this does not always mean you can purchase cannabis at a medical marijuana dispensary (non-medical adult use is acceptable) – just that the state’s medical marijuana laws protect you to some extent. It is wise to call the dispensary ahead if you are a medical cannabis patient from another state and intend to purchase medical marijuana.
The qualifying condition usually has to match between states, so if your qualifying condition is accepted in one state and not your visiting state, your recommendation is not necessarily valid. You are also accountable to the visiting state’s medical marijuana laws, not the state that issued your card.
The following states accept out-of-state applications, allowing visiting patient application to use medical cannabis for the duration of their stay:
There is nothing in Ohio’s medical marijuana law that prohibits or limits an employer’s right to drug test employees for marijuana, require a drug-free workplace, or impose discipline or discharge an employee violating an employer’s policies.
Medical cannabis in Ohio must be tested for cannabinoid content, mycotoxins, other microbial contaminants, pesticides, pollutants solvents, and heavy metals like lead. A third-party lab tests it.
In all states with a medical marijuana program, the only way to purchase medicinal cannabis products is via a legally-licensed dispensary or pharmacy or another legally designated space to buy cannabis. Only those with a legal license to sell cannabis can do so.
All states with a medical marijuana program have some restrictions on where a person can legally use cannabis. Near schools, nurseries, parks, or other places where children are expected to be, using cannabis is illegal. Use of cannabis on or in federal land or buildings, hospitals, or other such healthcare space is also illegal. Private members’ clubs and landowners may also prohibit cannabis use on their property or restrict it at their discretion.
The safest place to use medical cannabis is in the safety of your own home. It is wise to use common sense, keep consumption out of public view, and utilize discreet consumption methods wherever possible.