Earlier this year, CannAscend officials said they were hoping to open the Monroe dispensary on Main Street/Cincinnati-Dayton Road in June. The organization has state approval for three other dispensaries in Dayton, Logan and Marietta.
“We’re making sure that all of our systems are in place,” James said. “Our goal is to have state approval in August.”
He said the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, which inspects the medical marijuana dispensaries, has been busy inspecting the new dispensaries across the state.
“We’re at the mercy of their schedule,” James said. “The inspectors are bending over backwards to get these inspections done and there are only so many hours in a day they can do the inspections.”
MORE: Area’s first medical pot dispensary opens, more shops coming soon
James said the organization wants to get everything right for the patients so that they can obtain medical marijuana for their illnesses.
“We’re working diligently to make sure it happens and our goal is to get it done as soon as possible,” he said.
Nine dispensaries have provisional licenses to open in the region, including in Springfield, Beavercreek, Lebanon, Monroe, Riverside and the village of Seven Mile. The dispensary in Lebanon opened in May.
There are 19 authorized medical marijuana dispensaries that have opened, according to the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program.
The 2016 law authorized medical marijuana use by patients with 21 conditions, including cancer or chronic pain, in the form of edibles, oils, patches and vaporizing. Patients and their caregivers are allowed to possess up to a 90-day supply. Smoking or home-growing is barred.
“There is not a backlog of inspectors for dispensaries,” said Ali Simon, public and policy affairs liaison with the state pharmacy board. “Board staff have been ready to inspect when requested, that includes pre-inspections. The board has not had any issues scheduling inspections.”
Simon said that earlier this month the board held a meeting for the licensees that have not received a certificate of operation. She said the three committee members reviewed information from 30 provisional dispensary licensees.
Simon said the dispensaries had to share updates about when they would be able to finish their preparations, and if they could happen by July 7, Aug. 9, or Sept. 8. Most of the reasons for delaying opening were construction, local permitting, and other local issues, she said.
Monroe is also the site of a Level II cultivation license that was awarded to Hemma LLC, which is building a growing facility at 100 Edison Drive. According to state officials, Level II licenses allow for growing spaces for up to 3,000 square feet.
State commerce department officials said the Hemma LLC facility was awarded a provisional license on Nov. 3, 2017 and received its certificate of operation on Sept. 11, 2018. She said the certificate of operation enabled Hemma LLC to begin cultivating marijuana.
The 2016 law authorized medical marijuana use by patients with 21 conditions, including cancer or chronic pain, in the form of edibles, oils, patches and vaporizing. Patients and their caregivers are allowed to possess up to a 90-day supply. Smoking or home growing it is barred.
Many of the dispensaries have been slow to open due to lawsuits, construction delays and other issues.
The Lebanon dispensary opened in late May was the 17th dispensary to open of the 56 authorized to open as of last September.
By the Numbers
Ohio Medical Marijuana Program
Cultivators
- 17 Level I provisional licenses
- 8 Provisional licensees have received Certificates of Operation
- 13 Level II provisional licenses
- 9 Provisional licensees have received Certificates of Operation
Dispensaries
- 56 Provisional licenses
- 19 Provisional licensees have received a Certificate of Operation
Patients and Caregivers (as of May 31, 2019)
- 42,372 Recommendations
- 35,162 Registered patients with recommendations
- 2,677 Patients with Veteran Status
- 1,434 Patients with Indigent Status
- 385 Patients with a Terminal Diagnosis
- 20,074 Unique patients who purchased medical marijuana (as reported to Ohio Automatic Rx Reporting System by licensed dispensaries)
- 3,299 Registered Caregivers
Physicians
- 512 Certificates to Recommend
Processors
- 40 provisional licenses
- 5 Provisional licensees have received Certificates of Operation
Sales Figures (as of June 23, 2019)
- 1,377 lbs. of plant material
- 18,130 units of manufactured product
- $11.5 million in product sales
- 83,374 total receipts
Testing
- 5 Provisional licenses
- 3 Provisional licensees have received Certificates of Operation
SOURCE: Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program, as of June 26, 2019 or otherwise noted.
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