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The Wait For Medical Marijuana In Ohio Could Soon Be Over

Statehouse News Bureau

After months of delays, patients could be able to get legal medical marijuana in Ohio in a matter of days. 

Mark Hamlin with the Ohio Department of Commerce says some licensed growers are preparing to harvest their plants. And he adds one dispensary in Wintersville near Steubenville is likely to open soon. In recent days, a certificate of operation was granted to the North Coast Testing Laboratories in Streetsboro near Cleveland.

All of this sets in motion the process for getting the product to patients. Doctors have been writing recommendations to patients who have at least one of the21 conditions to qualify for the program. Hamlin says he patients will be able to get product in the coming days.

“We believe it could be right around the new year,” Hamlin says.

Hamlin says the product availability will likely be limited at first because few businesses have been certified. But he says inspections and certifications are coming with more frequency. 

Copyright 2018 The Statehouse News Bureau

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.