In this post I’ll talk about how to obtain a medical marijuana patient card in the state of Ohio so you can start purchasing medical marijuana at dispensaries throughout Ohio. Getting your card can be very quick. You have to visit with a physician to prove you suffer from one or more qualifying medical conditions. (See list of qualifying conditions later in this article). Also, there is a cost. But you can typically see a physician and if qualified, print out your card in the same day.
Steps To Getting Your Card
Here are the steps at a high level:
- contact physician, make an appointment for evaluation
- visit with physician – pay $150-200 for your evaluation (prices vary)
- login to Ohio Medical Marijuana registry, pay $50 and print card
Here is the phone number of Dr. Andrew Kuntz, MD. Dr. Kuntz is authorized by the state to recommend patients for Medical Marijuana. You can call Dr. Kuntz to make an appointment. 330-330-1294
Here’s what the Ohio Medical Marijuana patient card looks like:
Details For Getting Your Card
Find a physician who who is authorized to recommend medical marijuana for patients in Ohio. Contact the physician and make an appointment for evaluation. You will meet with the physician either in person or virtually. In the appointment you will give details of the medical condition you have been suffering. The physician will review your medical history. The physician then evaluates your current medical condition and determines whether you qualify for a medical marijuana card. Note that pain itself is a qualifying medical condition provided that your pain is “chronic and severe or intractable”.
If the physician determines that your condition qualifies for treatment under Ohio’s Medical Marijuana program, (i.e. you receive the physician’s recommendation), the physician will initiate an email to you instructing you how to log into Ohio Medical Marijuana Registry website. Once initiated by your physician, the email will be sent to you immediately. My email arrived while I was still in my physician’s office.
You can expect to pay between $150 and $200 for this initial evaluation. The physician will ask you to pay for the visit while you’re there. You can work out the details for acceptable forms of payment when you make the appointment.
If you are approved by the physician for treatment under Ohio’s Medical Marijuana program, (i.e. you receive the physician’s recommendation), the physician will initiate an email to you instructing you how to log into Ohio Medical Marijuana Registry website. Once initiated by your physician, the email will be sent to you immediately. My email arrived while I was still in my physician’s office.
The email you receive will contain a link. Click the link and follow the instructions for creating an account. Once your account is created and you are logged in, you can click the link for “print card”. When you click the link you will be prompted to pay $50. Once you pay you can click to download a file (pdf or image) that you can print.
A patient registration will be valid from the date of issuance and expire one year later, on the last day of the month in which you registered. Example: If you registered on March 4th, 2022, your registration expires March 31st, 2023.
Physician recommendations are given in 90-day increments. You can purchase products in dispensaries for the time period of your recommendation. Once the recommendation period has passed, you will need to visit with your physician again to have your recommendation extended for another period of time.
My first recommendation was for 180 days. This seems typical, however, physicians can issue recommendations of varying 90-day periods. I received two 180-day recommendations before I was given my first 360-day recommendation.
As a patient who has received a physician’s recommendation and printed an Ohio Medical Marijuana card, you can visit any one of Ohio’s Medical Marijuana dispensaries to make purchases of medical marijuana. I will cover the topic of making purchases in a separate article.
Recommendations are counted strictly in days rather than months or years. So for example, the 360-day recommendation I received on March 4th, 2022, expires on February 27, 2023.
There are some restrictions the state has instituted for eligibility. These include the following:
-individuals with a concealed carry permit for a firearm are ineligible
Qualifying individuals can also become Ohio medical marijuana caregivers. The process of becoming approved as a caregiver in Ohio is similar to that of becoming approved as a patient but there are some important differences. I explain how to become a medical marijuana caregiver in Ohio in a separate article.
Certified physicians may recommend medical marijuana only for the treatment of a qualifying medical condition. Following are the approved medical conditions that will qualify for obtaining a medical marijuana card in the state of Ohio.
Qualifying Medical Conditions in Ohio
Under Ohio law, qualifying medical conditions include all of the following:
- AIDS,
- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,
- Alzheimer’s disease,
- cachexia,
- cancer,
- chronic traumatic encephalopathy,
- Crohn’s disease,
- epilepsy or another seizure disorder,
- fibromyalgia,
- glaucoma,
- hepatitis C,
- Huntington’s disease,
- inflammatory bowel disease,
- multiple sclerosis,
- pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable,
- Parkinson’s disease,
- positive status for HIV,
- post-traumatic stress disorder,
- sickle cell anemia,
- Spasticity,
- spinal cord disease or injury,
- terminal illness,
- Tourette syndrome,
- traumatic brain injury,
- ulcerative colitis.
In February 2021, the State Medical Board of Ohio determined the following conditions are considered covered
by an existing qualifying condition:
- arthritis
- chronic migraines
- complex region pain syndrome
These conditions were determined to be covered by pain that is either chronic or intractable. More information can be found here.
Useful Links
Here is a link to the website of Dr. Kuntz. Dr. Kuntz has written approximately 1,000 recommendations in the Northest Ohio area – Dr. Andrew Kuntz, MD