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August 2019 Newsletter for Ohio's CTR Physicians |
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The CTR newsletter is distributed to physicians with an active CTR and provides important updates for the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program.
The State Medical Board of Ohio approved 22 new certificate to recommend medical marijuana (CTR) applications in August bringing the total number of active certified physicians to 551.
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Qualifying Conditions Update
The State Medical Board of Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Expert review committee met on August 14 to further discuss additional qualifying conditions. In addition to the experts consulted during the May 2019 committee meeting, board members heard from experts at children’s hospitals and psychiatric associations. The committee voted to recommend to the full board that autism spectrum disorder and anxiety petitions be rejected. However, the full board will vote during an upcoming regularly scheduled monthly board meeting.
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Operational Dispensaries
Ohio now has 26 operational dispensaries where a patient with a recommendation may purchase their medical marijuana product.
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SB 57 Hemp Products Update
Recent updates to state law (SB 57) changed the definition of marijuana in Ohio. Hemp and hemp products such as CBD oil, containing no more than three-tenths of a percent (0.3%) THC, are no longer considered to be marijuana in Ohio and are therefore legal to use outside of the medical marijuana program.
A physician, physician assistant, or massage therapist, acting within their scope of practice may apply CBD oil as a topical application if it has less than 0.3% THC. Similarly, hemp products can now be sold outside of a licensed medical marijuana dispensary. Please see more information from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, who is tasked with establishing Ohio’s Hemp Cultivation and Processing Program.
Medical Board licensees should also consider consulting with private legal counsel about the ramifications of the FDA’s caution against making unsubstantiated medical claims in the selling of hemp products such as CBD oil. You can see the FDA statement on the Agriculture Improvement Act here.
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Product Availability
We’ve listed the types of products currently available through the Medical Marijuana Control program below. This list of products is expected to grow as the program continues to mature.
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Voluntary Product Recall
The Pharmacy Board has declared a voluntary product recall for Standard Drops, manfuctured by Standard Wellness. Since receiving some reports of adverse effects, Standard Drops are now temporarily unavailable pending further investigation. Patients may return any unused product for a full refund. The returned products will not count toward a patient’s 90-day possession limit. For more information about this recall, click here.
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Product Warning Labels for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
The Medical Marijuana Control Program would like to remind physicians of the medical marijuana warnings for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Ohio regulations require each dispensary to label medical marijuana products with an advisory that it "should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “using marijuana while breastfeeding can allow harmful chemicals to pass from the mother to the infant through breast milk or secondhand smoke exposure. To limit potential risk to the infant, breastfeeding mothers who use marijuana should be encouraged to abstain from or significantly reduce marijuana use.” More information is available on the CDC website.
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Best Practices For Registering Patients & Caregivers
An error message appears in the Patient & Caregiver Registry if medical marijuana is purchased using a name that does not exactly match the name in the patient’s registry record. This could be using a nickname, middle name or suffix that was not included during the initial registration process. Whenever this happens, another profile is created and the duplicate profiles must be manually reviewed to match the dispensations to the appropriate patient or caregiver. Until the review is complete, you will not be able to review the patient’s dispensation history or make another recommendation in their registry record.
To avoid this issue, please remember to register patients and caregivers in the registry exactly as their name appears on the government-issued ID tied to their account.
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Caregiver Eligibility Reminder
Rule 3796:7-2-02 of the Ohio Administrative Code requires registered caregivers to be at least 21 years of age unless they are the parent of a minor patient. In those cases, the caregiver must be at least 18. Registered caregivers who do not meet the age requirement will not have their caregiver status verified by the Board of Pharmacy, making them unable to purchase medical marijuana on behalf of their patient.
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Renewing Registration & Recommendation
The expiration date of the first MMCP registrations is fast-approaching. Please be on the lookout for upcoming guidance from the Board of Pharmacy regarding the registrant renewal process and how it will interact with new recommendations.
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Board Seeks Subject Matter Experts
The State Medical Board of Ohio has been tasked with reviewing the petitions to add qualifying medical conditions to the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (OMMCP). The board is currently seeking qualified subject matter experts to review the materials submitted in support of these petitions.
The next period for petitions of proposed diseases or conditions will be November 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019, with the review by subject-matter experts immediately to follow.
Pursuant to Ohio Administrative Code 4731-32-05, the petition must detail:
(1) The name and contact information for the person submitting the petition;
(2) The specific disease or condition requested to be added as a qualifying condition;
(3) Information from experts who specialize in the study of the disease or condition;
(4) Relevant medical or scientific evidence pertaining to the disease or condition;
(5) Consideration of whether conventional medical therapies are insufficient to treat or alleviate the disease or condition;
(6) Evidence supporting the use of medical marijuana to treat or alleviate the disease or condition, including journal articles, peer-reviewed studies, and other types of medical or scientific documentation;
(7) Letters of support provided by physicians with knowledge of the disease or condition. This may include a letter provided by the physician treating the petitioner, if applicable.
The subject matter expert shall render a written opinion on the suitability of medical marijuana for the proposed disease or condition within 45 days following receipt of the materials to be reviewed. Board personnel will communicate instructions to the expert as to the format of the report. We anticipate the report from a subject matter expert to be 2-5 pages in length.
If you are interested in becoming a subject matter expert reviewer, please submit a completed questionnaire and a current copy of your curriculum vitae to donald.davis@med.ohio.gov. Following receipt of this information, your name will be added to our list of subject matter experts. When the board receives a petition matching your background, experience, and specialty, board personnel will contact you with further details. |
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Physician Annual Report
The standard of care in rule 4731-32-03 requires each physician to submit an annual report to the Medical Board. To collect the annual report data, the Medical Board will be sending a survey to all physicians with a CTR. Each physician will be asked to give their professional opinion on the effectiveness of medical marijuana for the conditions for which it has been recommended. The board will send the survey after approximately one year of patient use and product availability in the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program.
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Patient Appointments
Per Ohio law, the Medical Board provides the names and location of physicians with a CTR to the public. Some patients with scheduling conflicts contact the Medical Board to resolve an issue with their appointment. Please make sure patients understand they will need to reach out ot you or your practice directly if they have any questions or concerns with their appointment. |
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Search Map Feature
If you applied for a CTR for any purpose other than making patient recommendations (e.g. research, specialized CME, etc.) please let us know and we will not feature your contact information on the map.
If you received your CTR this month, or have not yet provided all of the addresses you wish to list on the medical marijuana physician locator, please complete the survey below. Your name and practice address will not appear on the search map until your survey is submitted.
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Standard of Care
All physicians with an active CTR are expected to follow the full list of requirements in Rule 4731-32-03 Standard of care in the Ohio Administrative Code.
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Resources
- For questions about your CTR, email MedicalMarijuana@med.ohio.gov.
- For questions about technical difficulties accessing the Registry, call the Appriss Help Desk at 1-833-276-0100.
- Additional resources can be found on the medical marijuana website. Click here to view.
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OMMCP Helpline
1-833-4OH-MMCP (1-833-464-6627)
The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program Toll-Free Helpline responds to inquiries from patients, caregivers, and health professionals regarding adverse reactions to medical marijuana, and provides information about available services and additional assistance as needed.
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Check with your personal attorney for additional rule interpretation and how to apply the statute and rules to your specific practice situation.
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med.ohio.gov
eLicense.ohio.gov |
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