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 has approved 12 new certificate to recommend medical marijuana (CTR) applications since the May board meeting. As of June 10, 2020, the total number of active certified physicians was 649.

The board's Medical Marijuana Committee met on June 10 and voted to recommend the full board reject the petitions for autism spectrum disorder and anxiety. After reviewing a report and having a discussion, the committee also voted to recommend the full board accept the petition for cachexia. The committee's votes are not the final determination for the petitions; the full Medical Board will discuss the petitions and issue a decision during an upcoming monthly board meeting. Board meetings and agendas can be found here.

CTR Annual Report

During the June 10 Medical Marijuana Committee meeting, members reviewed and voted to publish the CTR Physician Annual Report. The document fulfills Ohio Revised Code 4731.30 and Ohio Administrative Code 4731-32-03 which requires Ohio physicians holding an active Certificate to Recommend medical marijuana to submit an annual report.

The CTR Physician Annual Report is available on the website here.

Email Address Reminder

When registering patients and caregivers, please be sure to enter their email addresses correctly. Any error in the email address can cause significant delay in the registration process, as the activation link will not be sent to the correct inbox. If you correct an email address, you must notify the Registry support team so the activation link can be re-sent to the correct inbox.

State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy Updates

Temporary Expansion of Caregiver Registration

In order to expedite the caregiver registration process and reduce exposure to higher risk patients during the COVID-19 outbreak, the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy issued guidance for caregiver registration that authorizes a patient to have up to three caregivers. Additionally, the guidance permits caregivers to be added by submitting an application directly to the Board of Pharmacy. This guidance, along with the Board’s new Caregiver Registration Application, can be accessed here.

Photo Identification Requirements

To address patient access and closures of BMVs around the state, the Board of Pharmacy has adopted additional guidance on photo identification requirements. Click here to view the guidance. 

Sales to Patients and Caregivers Outside the Dispensary Department (“Curbside Pickup”)

To reduce opportunities for patient and caregiver exposure during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Board of Pharmacy has adopted a resolution to permit medical marijuana dispensaries to temporarily conduct sales to patients and caregivers outside of the dispensary department. Click here to view more information on this resolution.

Accepting Phone Orders for Medical Marijuana

To further protect patients, caregivers, and dispensary employees during the public health emergency, the Board of Pharmacy now permits a patient/caregiver to telephone a medical marijuana dispensary and place an order for the sale of medical marijuana. Click here to view the guidance.

Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee

The next Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee meeting will be held on Thursday, July 30. The agenda will be posted at https://medicalmarijuana.ohio.gov/advisory-committee.

To help inform physicians choosing to include instructions for use, the types of products currently available through the Medical Marijuana Control Program are listed below.