Ohio Relaxes Limits on Medical Marijuana Purchases

Founder of OhioMed, Dr. Kevin McKee has experience in medicine spanning two decades. As head of OhioMed, Dr. Kevin McKee assists patients with navigating the process of getting approved for Ohio’s medical marijuana program.

Launched in September 2018 but not functional until January 2019, the program makes medical marijuana accessible through dispensaries around the state. While this program has made accessing medical marijuana more convenient, some claim that the limits placed on how much a person can purchase are problematic.

Previous to the new rules, the state limited how much of the drug a person could purchase in 90 days. Under the 90-day rule, patients could purchase eight ounces of dried flower (or its equivalent in THC).

However, the amount is determined on a rolling basis and is reduced based on how much has been purchased in this interval and the number of days that have passed within 90 days. Plus, given the way the state calculates minimum amounts of dried flower, patients lose two days from their allowance for a single-day unit.

These limitations have created a few problems for patients. Many patients run out of marijuana long before 90 days, or they cannot purchase what they need when they need it.

To remedy this, law makers have relaxed some of these limitations. Beginning April 2020, the 90-day use-it-or-lose-it stipulation has been removed. A person can also purchase 45 days’ worth of medicinal marijuana to be used in 45 days.

Moreover, non-purchase days do not carry over to the next interval and patients will not lose these days either. For instance, if a person purchases marijuana on day 30, they can still come into a dispensary and purchase 45 days’ worth of the drug on day 46.