This newsletter is distributed to physicians with an active Certificate to Recommend Medical Marijuana (CTR) and provides important updates for the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (OMMCP). 

The State Medical Board of Ohio approved 14 new CTR applications since the November board meeting. As of December 9, 2020, the total number of active certified physicians is 672.

Submitting Petitions for New Qualifying Conditions  

The State Medical Board of Ohio established Nov. 1, 2020 - Dec. 31, 2020 as the third submission period for petitions to add a qualifying medical condition to the Medical Marijuana Control Program. Petitions can be filed electronically through the state's website here. Petitions need to include (per Ohio Administrative Code 4731-32-05):

• The name and contact information
• Specific disease or condition requested to be added
• Information from experts who specialize in the study of the disease or condition
• Relevant medical or scientific evidence
• Consideration of whether conventional medical therapies are insufficient to treat or alleviate the disease or condition
• Evidence supporting the use of medical marijuana to treat or alleviate the disease or condition and other types of medical or scientific documentation
• Letters of support provided by physicians

CTR Renewal 

As a reminder, your CTR will remain active when you renew your license unless you make the choice to inactivate it during your renewal process. If you have questions about renewing your license or inactivating your CTR, please email license@med.ohio.gov.

• 204,114 Recommendations
• 154,376 Registered patients
  • 10,598 Patients with veteran status
  • 11,205 Patients with indigent status
  • 832 Patients with a terminal diagnosis
• 131,398 Unique patients who purchased medical marijuana (as reported to OARRS by licensed dispensaries)
• 17,463 Registered caregivers

State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy Updates

Driver’s License, BMV-Issued Identification, and Patient/Caregiver Registration Extensions

The legislature has passed, and Governor Mike DeWine has signed, HB 404 which extends the deadline for all driver’s licenses and identification cards, as well as patient and caregiver registrations. If a patient’s or caregiver’s expiration date on their driver’s license or identification card, or on the patient or caregiver registration, is March 9, 2020 to April 1, 2021, the expiration date has been automatically extended and will remain valid through July 1, 2021. Therefore, dispensaries must accept all driver’s licenses, identification cards, and patient/caregiver registrations with expiration dates between March 9, 2020 and April 1, 2021.

NOTE: HB 404 does not apply to recommendations from physicians with a certificate to recommend medical marijuana. All patients must have a current recommendation to purchase medical marijuana personally or through a caregiver.

Photo Identification Expansion

In June, the Board of Pharmacy authorized physicians to accept additional forms of identification in lieu of a driver license or other identification issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles to prove Ohio residency. When registering patients and caregivers with one of the additional forms of identification, follow the instructions in this guidance document.

Patient Renewal

Patients seeking to renew their medical marijuana registration will not receive another “activation” email upon receipt of their new recommendation. Once a new recommendation is submitted by the physician, the patient can log into the Patient & Caregiver Registry to remit their annual registration fee to renew their card. Patients who need assistance logging into their Registry account due to a forgotten password can send an email to MMCPRegistry@pharmacy.ohio.gov to request a password reset link.

Caregiver Requirements

Prior to registering a caregiver, the Board of Pharmacy is encouraging physicians with a CTR to notify prospective caregivers that their registration will not be approved by the Board of Pharmacy if they are identified in any of the following databases:

• The system for award management (SAM) maintained by the United States General Services Administration.
• The list of excluded individuals and entities maintained by the Office of Inspector General in the United States Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to 42 U.S.C. part 1320a-7 (as effective on January 3, 2017) and 42 U.S.C. part 1320c-5 (as effective on January 3, 2017).
• The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) online abuser registry established under section 5123.52 of the Revised Code.
• The internet-based sex offender and child-victim offender database established under division (A)(11) of section 2950.13 of the Revised Code.
• The national sex offender public website established under 18 United States Code 16918
• The internet-based database of Department of Rehabilitation and Correction inmates established under section 5120.66 of the Revised Code.

In accordance with rule 3796:7-2-02 of the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC), the Board of Pharmacy is required to check each of the above-listed databases to see if the caregiver is identified on any of them. If a prospective caregiver is identified in any of the databases, their application will be denied, and they will not receive a refund for the registration fee. The caregiver eligibility review process can take up to seven business days to complete.

Additionally, caregivers must be 21 years of age or older. The only exception is that the parent of a minor patient may serve as the minor patient's caregiver if the parent is at least 18 years of age and otherwise meets the caregiver requirements.

Indigent Status Reminder

In accordance with rule 3796:7-3-01 of the Ohio Administrative Code, patients wishing to register with indigent status based on the benefits they receive from Social Security must provide documentation establishing the patient’s identity (name), enrollment in the federal "Social Security Disability Income" (SSDI) or the "Supplemental Security Income" (SSI) disability programs specifically, and the amount of monthly SSDI or SSI benefits to be received by the patient during the current year of the registration submission. Patients receiving only retirement benefits are not eligible for the indigent status.

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.