Ohio Changes Medical Marijuana Dispensary Distribution: Lake, Geauga And Portage

[Ron Strider]

Lake, Geauga and Portage counties will have two medical marijuana dispensaries among them, according to updated maps released Friday by the Ohio Pharmacy Board.

That's one more than the counties were originally supposed to get under the Pharmacy Board's initial proposal in July. Northeastern Ohio will still have 18 medical marijuana dispensaries, according to maps released.

Meantime, Ashtabula, Trumbull and Mahoning counties - which were proposed to have three dispensaries - will now have two.

The changes came after the Pharmacy Board considered public feedback on its plan, said board spokesman Cameron McNamee. The Northeast Ohio changes were the only ones to the dispensary plan, which allows for 60 stores across the state.

Urban areas such as Cuyahoga and Franklin counties will each have five dispensaries, which will leave others with none.

Sixty dispensaries will not be enough, said Chris Lindsey, of the Marijuana Policy Project, an organization that was working toward a constitutional amendment for medical cannabis before the proposal was legalized in the Ohio legislature. The organization now watches the state as it endeavors to start the program.

"It is just simply not enough so you're going to have to make hard decisions about who doesn't have local access," he said. "It's not what voters would necessarily support."

The Pharmacy Board's McNamee said the number and locations of dispensaries will adjust over time, as the state sees who is seeking medical marijuana and where they're from.

People who suffer from 21 conditions, ranging from cancer to Tourette's syndrome could qualify for cannabis.

In coming months, the state will accept applications from people who want to open dispensaries throughout the state, McNamee said.

The law requires cannabis to be available Sept. 8, 2018, although some question whether Ohio will be able to complete its regulatory responsibilities and address possible lawsuits by then.

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[TorturedSoul]

I've spent time in Ohio in the past.

Urban areas such as Cuyahoga and Franklin counties will each have five dispensaries

Translation: Cleveland and Columbus will each have five dispensaries. The two largest cities in the state. Ones with (AfaIK) excellent public transportation. In other words, if you want to go to a dispensary on the other side of town... you can hop on a bus.

which will leave others with none.

If someone lives in... what's a good example of a rural county in Ohio... Okay, Meigs County. I doubt there's much in the way of public transportation there (not counting taxis, which cost more than owning your own vehicle if you use the things regularly). So it'd be bad enough having to get across the county - but Meigs County won't even get a dispensary unless it just happens to be where a "shared" dispensary ends up (in which case neighboring counties most likely won't get one).

Thankfully, lol, there's still a few old farts in Meigs County who remember how to grow their own. They used to have some great "after-harvest" parties in the woods. Speaking of which, Skeeter, if you're reading this, I didn't know she was your old lady, honest ( ).