House Bill 523 legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes goes into effect starting Thursday, Sept. 8, but patients will have a difficult time legally obtaining it for several months -- or even years.
Ohio patients will legally be able to use medical marijuana on Sept. 8 but they won’t be able to buy it in Ohio and it’s unclear how exactly they will obtain it.
According to the Ohio State Medical Association, doctors still need to take part in a certification process for recommending the drug, but are awaiting instructions from the State Medical Marijuana Use Board.
Eventually certified physicians will be asked to “recommend” use according to a list of conditions specified in the legislation, which include epilepsy, Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease.
As far as the start date of Sept. 8 — it marks 90 days since Gov. John Kasich signed the bill into law.
“Starting tomorrow if you think you can light up a joint freely without being arrested or charged, you’re wrong,” legal expert and former narcotics detective Tim Dimoff told newsnet5.com.
Dimoff said the Department of Commerce will be working with an advisory committee to determine rules and regulations for dispensaries, which could take more than a year.
The bill does not allow smoking marijuana but it does permits vaporizers, oils and edibles.
