Get an Ohio Medical Marijuana Card

Next steps after approval

Congratulations on getting approved for your medical certification. Now you’ll need to complete your state registration within 90 days.

Here’s a guide to what you need to do next.

Before you start, have these supporting documents ready:

• An email from the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (see step 1)
• Indigent status documentation (if applicable)
  • Document confirming enrollment of SSDI or SSI benefits showing the patient’s identity, DOB, and amount of monthly benefits; or
  • Document confirming enrollment in a State Retirement System showing the patient’s identity, DOB, and amount of monthly disability benefits.
• Veteran status documentation (if applicable)
  • Department of Defense Identification Card (active, retired, temporary disability retirement list);
  • DD214, DD215, or National Guard Bureau military discharge certificate indicating disposition of discharge;
  • Report of separation from the National Archives National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO; or
  • Veterans Identification Card from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  • Please note: All acceptable proof documents, except a Veterans Identification Card, must show the veteran status as honorable, general, general under honorable conditions, or discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.

Getting your Ohio Medical Marijuana Card

1. Once your Leafwell physician has entered your details into the registry, you’ll receive an email from no-reply-pmpaware@globalnotifications.com with the subject line “ACTION NEEDED: Ohio MMCP Registry – Account Registration.”
   1. Click the link and follow the instructions to create your Registry password.
   2. Note: You can only click the link once! If you attempt to click it more than once, you will be given an error message. If you need your email sent again, please send your name and date of birth to MMCPRegistry@com.ohio.gov so your email can be re-sent, or you can contact us at support@leafwell.com for assistance.
2. Create your registry password and choose your timezone.
3. Review the information provided by your Leafwell Physician.
   1. Contact us at support@leafwell.com if any information is incorrect.
4. If you have been registered with indigent or veteran status, you must send documentation to the state for verification before activating your card.
   1. Email: mmcpregistry@com.ohio.gov
   2. Mail: Ohio Department of Commerce, MMCP, 77 S High St, 20th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215
5. Click Activate Card.
6. Download and print your card.
   1. Click the ‘Download’ button and save your card to your computer or cell phone.
   2. You can either print out this document in hard copy or have it visible on your cell phone to show the medical marijuana dispensary.
7. Purchase your medical marijuana products.
   1. You will need to show your medical cannabis card (in digital or printed format) and a valid form of photo identification every time you purchase medical marijuana from an Ohio dispensary.

Additional Resources:

• Activating Your Medical Marijuana Card
• Registering with Indigent or Veteran Status

Note: You must activate your registry account and card within 90 days of receiving your recommendation!

If you fail to do so, your recommendation will be voided, and you will need to obtain a new recommendation from your physician before registration.

How to renew your card

It’s easy to renew your Ohio medical marijuana card with Leafwell. You’ll go through most of the same steps as when you apply for medical marijuana treatment for the first time in Ohio. The only difference is that you won’t get an email prompt from the state since you already have an account in their system. We have a complete step-by-step guide on our Ohio renewal page, where you can also start the process of renewing your card.

1. Sign in to your Leafwell account or register as a renewal patient here.
2. Speak to an Ohio-licensed physician online and get approved.
3. The provider will submit your recommendation to the state within 48 business hours. As a renewal, you will NOT receive an email alert instructing you to proceed.
4. Log into the Ohio Medical Marijuana Registry and click the ‘Renew Card’ button.*
5. Your new registry card will be available to download immediately.

Please note: Unless certified by the same physician as last year, the physician will only be able to submit your renewal recommendation to the state once your current recommendation expires.

*The renewal button will appear on the first day of the month your state registration expires.

Next steps after renewal

In the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (MMCP), patients renew their registration by completing a two-step process.

You will NOT receive an automated email from the Registry with a link to renew your registration.

You will have to log into the Registry yourself and follow the instructions below to renew your card. Make sure to renew your registration within 90 days of your recommendation to avoid additional fees.

Once you have your recommendation from Leafwell, complete these steps:

1. Log into the registry: www.ohiomedicalmarijuanaregistry.com
   1. Use your email address and password from your existing registry account.
   2. If you do not remember your password, you can send an email request to MMCPRegistry@com.ohio.gov for a password reset link.
2. If you have been registered with indigent or veteran status, you must send documentation to the state for verification before renewing your card.
   1. Email: mmcpregistry@com.ohio.gov
   2. Mail: Ohio Department of Commerce, MMCP, 77 S High St, 20th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215
3. Once you log into your Registry account, click the red “RENEW CARD” button to renew your registration.
   1. The renewal button will appear on the first day of the month your registration expires.
4. You will be returned to your Registry profile. The new active Registry card will be visible on the left side of the page with a new expiration date.
5. If you have any questions about renewing registrations, please contact the MMCP via email at MMCPRegistry@com.ohio.gov.

Additional Resources:

• Renewing Patient Registration
• Registering with Indigent or Veteran Status

Please note, unless certified by the same physician as last year, the physician will only be able to submit your renewal recommendation to the state once your current recommendation expires.

You must complete the state registration within 90 days of your recommendation!

If you fail to do so, your recommendation will be voided, and you will need to obtain a new recommendation from your physician prior to registration.

Legal limitations for card holders

Navigating the legal landscape of medical marijuana can be a bit tricky, but we’re here to break it down for you. Here are some key points you should be aware of if you’re a medical cannabis patient in Ohio:

Recreational Cannabis Use Legal: Recreational possession, use, and cultivation of cannabis are legal. Adults 21 and over can purchase cannabis products at a licensed cannabis dispensary.

Currently, having a medical marijuana card is still the only way to legally purchase cannabis products in the state.

Possession Limits: Adults are allowed to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and 15 grams of marijuana concentrates.

Taxes: 6.5-7.25% for medical patients vs 10% for recreational users.

Cultivation is Allowed: Marijuana cultivation is legal. Adults 21 and older can grow up to six plants (with a maximum of 12 plants per household).

Smoking Prohibited: Smoking cannabis flower is illegal; however, vaping is allowed.

No Driving Under the Influence: It’s illegal to drive while under the influence of marijuana or to have an open container of marijuana in a vehicle while on the road or in a public place.

How to become a caregiver

If you’re looking to become a caregiver for a medical marijuana patient in Ohio, there are some important rules and steps you’ll need to follow.

Picking Up for Patients

Good news! As a caregiver, you can pick up medical marijuana from a dispensary on behalf of a patient. Handy, right?

Caregiver Limitations

An individual may not serve as a Personal Caregiver for more than five medical marijuana patients at once. If the patient is a minor, having a caregiver is a must.

Registration Process

Caregivers must be added to the patient’s profile to get their own medical marijuana caregiver card. The recommending physician with whom the patient or prospective patient has a bona fide physician-patient relationship, or the physicians delegate, shall submit the caregiver registration.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the caregiver registry, you must:

1. Be at least 21.
2. Live in Ohio and have proof of residency.
3. Have an Ohio driver’s license or a state-issued ID card with your current address.
4. Caregivers can also be a patient. However, a registered patient cannot be a caregiver and also receive caregiver services. Information on how to certify a caregiver as a patient can be found here.
5. A patient’s recommending physician shall not serve as the patient’s caregiver.
6. A background check is required. The state can take up to 7 business days to complete the caregiver background check.
7. A patient shall designate no more than two caregivers. The MMCP shall register no more than two caregivers for each patient.

Timing

Once the background check is complete, you’ll receive an email notification from the state and your card will be available to download immediately.

Can you use an Ohio medical card in other states?

Ohio does not recognize other states’ medical marijuana cards.

However, Ohio state law requires that the Ohio MMCP develop a medical marijuana reciprocity process with states to admit out-of-state medical cards.

That said, other states accept or recognize out-of-state medical marijuana cards:

• Arizona
• Arkansas *
• Hawaii *
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Michigan (at the dispensary’s discretion)
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey *
• New Mexico
• Oklahoma *
• Puerto Rico
• Rhode Island
• U.S. Virgin Islands *
• Utah * (up to two 21-day periods in a calendar year)
• Washington, D.C.

*Visitors must complete a visiting patient application with the state program.

Minor patient information

A certified physician may recommend treatment with medical marijuana only after obtaining the consent of a parent or another person responsible for providing consent to treatment. Minors are also required to have an adult caregiver.

Both the patient and the patient’s caregiver will need an official, unexpired ID to present to the recommending physician before they can enter the individuals into the Patient & Caregiver registry.

Valid forms of ID: a state driver’s license; a US Passport; an identification card issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor vehicles. These BMV cards can be issued to minors and adults who do not have a driver’s license.