The State of Ohio has difficulty securing cannabis edibles producers
Senior policy adviser for the Commerce Department, Mark Hamlin, says that cannabis cultivators in Ohio are accountable for the delay in providing patients with regulated access to medicinal-grade weed
Cannabis production in Ohio is slacking and, as a result, patient demands are not being met.
The Buckeye State’s medical cannabis program is severely lacking, due to difficulties in seeking out dependable producers of cannabis and weed-derived products.
News about this shortage of cannabis production in Ohio was revealed after the Ohio Department of Commerce allocated a mere seven cannabis producer licenses to cultivators within the state – a shocking figure since a total of 104 applications were filed.
According to the state, most businesses that are keen to produce the plant and its derived products such as oils and edibles failed to meet the minimum requirements.
All is not lost for those who were not accepted to start cannabis production in Ohio, however. Various opportunities remain for new cannabis startups that wish to contribute to Ohio’s medical cannabis program and re-applications may be accepted at some stage.
Ohio State allowed to grant 40 licenses for cannabis production
The maximum permitted number of processor licenses that can be approved by the state during the first round of application reviewal is 40.
With seven cannabis producer licenses having been granted, an additional 33 licenses could have been distributed amongst applicants.
Cannabis cultivators who are given the green light to produce medicinal-grade weed and medical cannabis products in Ohio will supply local dispensaries with everything they manufacture. This includes smokable and non-smokable cannabis.
Licensing delays reflect Ohio’s struggling medical cannabis program
Based on details revealed in certain reports, an extra six applicants could have been provided with a license for cannabis production in Ohio, had those applicants’ tax information and background details been “cleaner.”
Applicants who were turned away by the state may be given an opportunity to re-apply and hopefully, this time will come very soon.
Despite being approved back in 2016, the State of Ohio’s medical cannabis program has experienced difficulties and delays, due to lack of production. State officials recently informed the general public that Ohio’s medical cannabis program would go into full force this September.
Senior policy adviser for the Commerce Department, Mark Hamlin, says that cannabis cultivators in Ohio are accountable for the delay in providing patients with regulated access to medicinal-grade weed, what with just a single grow operation being ready for inspection in June.
So far, the following grow operations have been granted provisional licenses for cannabis production in Ohio:
- Ohio Grown Therapies, LLC
- Fire Rock Processing Ltd
- Ohio Green Grow LLC
- Greenleaf Therapeutics, LLC
- Grow Ohio Pharmaceuticals, LLC
- Standard Farms Ohio LLC
- Corsa Verde LLC
Within the next six months, these approved grow operations must prepare cannabis cultivation facilities that meet state health and safety standards. If they pass this all-important test, an operating license will be issued.
The State of Ohio has not yet revealed an updated launch date for the medical cannabis program, meaning that patients could be left waiting until the beginning of next year to procure pot-based topicals and edibles.
