How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card In Ohio In 2024

Prospective medical marijuana patients have a lot to look forward to in Ohio. 

You can possess up to a 90-day supply of medicine at one time! Plus it’s the only way to purchase marijuana legally in the state. 

Take it from me, becoming a patient helps you to relax even more with your medicine. Keep reading to learn how to get a medical marijuana card in Ohio In 2024.

Ohio Medical Marijuana Program

House Bill 523 went into effect on September 8, 2016. That is when medical marijuana became legal in the state of Ohio. 

The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program governs the program. They allow people with specific listed medical conditions to use medical marijuana. 

First, they must get a recommendation from an Ohio-licensed physician. The physician must be certified by the Ohio State Medical Board. 

The amount of medication and the type of medication patients are allowed to possess are regulated by the state. Patients are not allowed to grow their own marijuana plants for personal use. 

Recreational marijuana is technically still illegal, although it is now decriminalized. 

As a patient, you can possess up to a 90-day supply of medical marijuana. 

The forms of medical cannabis products allowed by law are:

• Oils
• Tinctures
• Plant material
• Edibles
• Lotions
• Creams
• Patches

Ohio cannabis laws prohibit smoking or the combustion of marijuana even for medical patients, but vaping is allowed. It also prohibits anything attractive to children. You won’t find brightly packaged edibles and vapes with sweet flavors at an Ohio medical marijuana dispensary. 

The state has a 90-day supply guidance process. This is to help medical marijuana patients establish what a 90-day supply for their condition is. 

The process is per the state’s administrative code. Any Ohio medical marijuana patient should follow the guidelines to make sure not to exceed the maximum possession limits outlined by Ohio law. 

Dispensaries are responsible for calculating a patient’s supply following a strict outline. The five key points are as follows:

1. A patient’s 90-day recommendation is divided into two 45-day fill periods
2. In each fill period, a patient can purchase up to a 45-day supply of medical marijuana products. It does not matter when the purchases are made within 45 days. (So even if you go in on the last day of your fill period you can buy a whole 45-day supply.)
3. If the 45-day supply limit has been met patients must wait until the next 45-day period starts to purchase any more medicine 
4. If a patient does not purchase all of their 45-day supply, it does not roll over to the next period 
5. There is an Adobe PDF form that automatically calculates the new 45-day fill periods. It is designed to make it easier for dispensaries and patients

Ohio Medical Card Requirements

To qualify for medical marijuana as a resident of Ohio you must be a legal resident of Ohio state and be 18 years or older. 

If a minor is applying to become a patient they must have a caregiver that is the age 21 or older. 

Caregivers cannot have been convicted of any felonies or drug-related felonies. They also need to be free from any criminal convictions in the past 10 years. Caregivers will need to pass a background check during the qualification process. 

Caregivers can purchase, transport, and administer medical cannabis to their patients. Any patient that is unable to manage their own medical marijuana treatment can register up to two caregivers. 

Caregivers cannot serve more than two medical marijuana patients at the same time. Your physician needs to submit the caregiver’s name to the Ohio caregiver registry. They do this when submitting your recommendation for medical marijuana. 

You must establish a physician-patient relationship with a physician that is licensed to recommend medical marijuana in Ohio. They will need to complete your patient registration submission. 

You must receive a diagnosis or confirmation of a qualifying condition from your physician. 

If you are a minor, your parent or legal guardian will have to provide consent for treatment with medical marijuana. 

There is a patient fee requirement due when you submit your application.

Ohio Medical Marijuana Qualifying Conditions List

Certified physicians in Ohio may only recommend medical marijuana to patients who suffer from specific health conditions. These medical conditions include:

• AIDS
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Arthritis
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Cachexia
• Cancer
• Chronic migraines
• Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
• Complex regional pain syndrome
• Crohn’s disease
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorders
• Fibromyalgia
• Glaucoma
• HIV Positive
• Hepatitis C
• Huntington’s disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Chronic pain
• Parkinson’s disease
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Sickle cell anemia
• Spasticity
• Spinal cord disease or injury
• Terminal illness
• Tourette syndrome
• Traumatic brain injury
• Ulcerative colitis

In 2021, the state medical board clarified that arthritis, chronic migraines, and complex regional pain syndrome are qualifying conditions. They consider them covered by the condition of chronic pain.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card In Ohio

The first step to becoming an Ohio medical marijuana patient is to start a relationship with a physician. They must have an active certificate to recommend medical marijuana issued by the State Medical Board of Ohio. 

You can do this offline or online. Online is a much cheaper option. And the most established online MMJ services have money-back guarantees. So if for some reason you do not get qualified you don’t have to pay a thing. 

Ohio does technically have a requirement that you meet with your physician in person at least once per year. But this requirement was suspended in March of 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. 

Right now all you need to do is meet with your physician through a video call to get recommendations and renewals. Hopefully, this will always be the case moving forward.

1. Certification From A Ohio Certified Healthcare Provider

You need to meet with your physician to get a certification letter. 

As we mentioned, you can go to meet with a physician face-to-face. Or, you can save yourself the time and hassle of locating a certified physician, driving to their office, and waiting in the lobby. Instead, you can do it all online in the comfort of your own home. 

Either way, you just need to meet with them to discuss medical marijuana as a possible treatment for your health conditions. 

The physician will submit your name to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy Medical Marijuana Patient and Caregiver registry if you are approved. 

To submit your name and recommend you as a patient for medical marijuana the physician will need to provide some of your information. They will need your valid Ohio driver’s license. And a valid Ohio identification card issued by the BMV. Or they can use a U.S. passport. 

If you have a caregiver the physician will need their information as well. They will establish their profile in the patient and caregiver registry. 

2. Receive Your Email From Ohio State

After your physician has entered all your information into the state registry you need to log in to your profile in the patient registry. You have to do this to complete your state application and pay the state fee. 

The annual registration fee for patients is $50. The annual registration fee for caregivers is $25. However, patients and caregivers may qualify for fee reductions. 

You should get an email from the Ohio medical program prompting you to do this within about three business days. If you do not receive this email check your spam and junk folders. 

If you still can’t locate this email you need to contact the MMCP by phone or email. Be prepared to provide your first name, last name, date of birth, and email address so a new registration link can be sent to you. 

Ohio does not require you to upload a certificate for medical marijuana like most other states. This is usually given to patients by their physicians. But Ohio patients do not get a certificate as you do not need one. The physician directly sends the recommendations to the state registry instead. 

3. Be Approved For Your OH Medical Card

Shortly after completing the state application and paying the state fees, you should receive your Ohio medical marijuana card via email. This usually happens on the same day. 

After getting your Ohio patient and caregiver registry card you can purchase medical marijuana. 

The only legal places to purchase medication are from Ohio dispensaries that have a certificate of operation. You will need your active registry card and a valid ID to make a purchase. 

You may be able to place orders over the phone and pick up your medication curbside. You can call your chosen dispensary to find out if this is a service they provide.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Ohio Online

Getting an Ohio medical marijuana card online is simple. 

Instead of completing step 1 above by driving to see a physician, you consult with one online. It is an easy process because you won’t have to do the work of locating a certified physician near you. 

And you can often get your recommendation in just minutes. The recommendation remains valid for one year. 

To move forward with this option, you just need to create an account with an online telehealth provider. Create an account by providing some personal details. 

If you use a service like Leafwell or Veriheal your information will be protected by industry-leading software that is HIPAA compliant. 

Once you complete your account you can pay the consultation fees and schedule a time to meet with your physician. 

When your appointment happens you will discuss your medical history with them through a video call. You can ask them any questions you would ask a physician in-office. They will discuss the potential of medical marijuana for helping your conditions. 

After your appointment is complete you will know if you qualified. If so, your physician will complete your recommendation directly with the state registry. 

Then you can move on to step two of the process above. 

How Much Does An Ohio Medical Marijuana Card Cost Online?

We recommend checking out Leafwell and Veriheal as two great online options. 

They are two fantastic medical marijuana telehealth providers. They specialize in connecting licensed medical marijuana doctors with patients to make the process fast and pain-free. 

Both of these companies service Ohio medical patients. And both of them offer money-back guarantees, so you don’t have to worry about spending any cash and not getting approved. 

Leafwell charges $149 for new patients and renewals. Veriheal costs $199 for their services. 

Both offer bundle discounts, so if you and a friend want to sign up together you may be able to save some extra money. 

Don’t forget that you also need to pay the state registration fee of $50 to get your registry card. 

If you are a veteran, or if you qualify for indigent status, you may be eligible for a reduced registration fee. 

To receive the discount your physician must indicate that you are applying with special status while entering your information into the registry system. You must then submit documentation to support your status. 

If approved you can get as much as 50% off of your fee. Do not submit any fees until your status has been approved. 

Ohio Medical Marijuana Card Benefits

Recreational cannabis possession is decriminalized in Ohio for adults aged 21 and over. But it is still technically against the law to buy or consume cannabis. So being an Ohio medical cannabis card holder comes with some substantial benefits. 

The most important is that you can legally obtain medical marijuana from an Ohio dispensary. You can possess up to a 90-day supply as directed by your physician. As long as you follow all of the program guidelines you can enjoy some state-level legal protection. 

And another important benefit is that you will be able to access third-party tested products directly from dispensaries. So you can have peace of mind that your medication is going to be safe and effective, no matter what product you purchase. 

Third-party labs run full panel tests on products to check for heavy metals, contaminants, and molds, among other things. And they test for potency to make sure the amount of THC on the label is what you are actually getting in your medicine. This is important so that you can take accurate dosages. 

Some states recognize out-of-state medical marijuana cards. If you are traveling to a state that does, you may get to enjoy their medical marijuana patient protections with your Ohio MMJ card when you are there. This is not a guaranteed benefit as all states have their own laws to follow. 

Lots of states require your qualifying condition to be on their list of qualifying conditions to be valid. 

Some require that you fill out a visiting patient application to join their program. You can call the state you plan to visit to get the details.

How Hard Is It to Get a Medical Card in Ohio?

It is relatively easy for new prospective patients to get a medical marijuana card in Ohio. 

To qualify, you need to be at least 18 years old or older. Patients can’t be convicted of any felonies. 

And you must get a certification letter from a licensed medical marijuana doctor stating that you suffer from one or more of the debilitating conditions listed by the state of Ohio.

Does Ohio Accept Out Of State Medical Cards?

No, Ohio does not accept out-of-state medical cards. 

Right now, Ohio law requires that the Board of Pharmacy make a good faith attempt to negotiate reciprocity with other states, but it has not happened yet. 

To achieve an agreement, the eligibility requirements to get a medical card must be substantially comparable between Ohio and the other state. And the other state must offer medical cannabis reciprocity to Ohio cardholders as well. 

If and when an agreement is reached with another state, Ohio will update its information on the OMMCP website accordingly.

Wrapping Up OH Medical Cards

Getting your medical marijuana card in Ohio is much simpler now that you do not have to meet a physician in person every year. You can get your recommendation in minutes online. 

Then, just finish applying to the state program a day or two later. You can purchase cannabis as soon as your card arrives. 

It really is this easy, and it is the only way to legally use cannabis in Ohio. There is no better time to get your card than now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the qualifications to get medical marijuana in Ohio?

The qualifications to get medical marijuana in Ohio are to be 18 years of age or older, have a qualifying medical condition, and obtain a recommendation from a physician. 

With these, you can apply to the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program registry for your medical marijuana card. If accepted you will receive your card in the mail. Then you can purchase medical marijuana from a licensed dispensary in Ohio. 

How much does it cost to get a medical card in Ohio?

It costs $50 to apply to the Ohio medical marijuana program registry.

But the consultation to get a recommendation from a licensed physician also adds costs, so the full price to get your medical marijuana card in Ohio depends on how you choose to get your card. 

It can be hundreds of dollars if you go to an in-person appointment. 

It costs $149 through the online service Leafwell. And it costs $199 through the online platform Veriheal.