If you live in Ohio and suffer with a chronic health problem, then it is important for you to know that medical marijuana has recently been legalized in your state. However, doctors are only allowed to prescribe it to patients who have specific health conditions, and there are other guidelines regarding medical marijuana in place. Read on to learn more about who qualifies for medical marijuana in Ohio and why, and other facts about its recent legalization in this state.
When Did Medical Marijuana Become Legal In Ohio and Who Qualifies?In June of 2016, the governor of Ohio signed a bill that legalized medical cannabis in Ohio. The bill did not make it legal immediately, but instead made it fully legal at a later date, which was September 8 2016.
People who qualify for a prescription of medical cannabis in Ohio must have one of 20 chronic illnesses. Just a few of the illnesses include cancer, HIV/AIDs, fibromyalgia, Chrohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, PTSD, and spinal cord injury.
If you don’t see your illness on the list, then check out this page for the full list of illnesses.
When Can You Ask Your Doctor For it If You Qualify?
Unfortunately while technically legal, there will still be a wait to obtain a prescription, even if you fully qualify for it under the new law.
For Ohio doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to patients, they must obtain a special certification by the state to do so. There are currently no doctors who are certified in Ohio, and no one knows exactly when a state certification program will be implemented.
Also, there is currently no cannabis being grown in the state of Ohio and no legal dispensaries. The state does plan to provide licenses to growers and dispensaries in the near future.
What does this mean for you? Lawmakers in Ohio state that they plan to have doctors certified, cannabis being grown in the state, and dispensaries licensed to sell the cannabis within two years. So you simply have to wait until all the actions are taken, which could be sooner or later than two years from September 8 2016, to obtain legal medical cannabis.
How Can Cannabis Help Your Illness?
Cannabis has many health benefits and how it may affect your health depends on the disease you have. There are also different types of marijuana called strains, and each is cultivated to have a different balance of the medicinal components in marijuana, called cannabinoids.
Many cannabioids have anti-inflammatory properties that can help a variety of illnesses. Some promote healthy bowel function, which can improve symptoms of Chrohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Marijuana can also reduce that anxiety and depression that plagues those suffering from PTSD and help everyone with chronic illness sleep more soundly at night.
If you live in Ohio, then realize that medical cannabis has been legalized, but you must have one of 20 specific diseases to qualify for it and wait until doctors in the state become licensed to prescribe it, it begins being grown in the state, and dispensaries open.
