Open A Dispensary In Ohio - Dispensary Permits Cannabis Consulting and Templates

Status: In Ohio, qualified patients may possess and use medical marijuana. State licenced businesses may dispense, cultivate, lab test and process marijuana.

CBD Program	Medical Program	Recreational Program	Are Applications Open?
Legal	Legal	Not legal	Open Spring/Summer 2021

Ohio Application Guide & Checklist

Learn about the Ohio application process with a detailed summary and checklist of all you'll need for a marijuana business license.

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Marijuana Business Templates

Draft your application, update your policies and procedures or educate yourself with our business/operational plan templates.

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Number of Ohio Marijuana Business Licenses Licenses Available

Dispensaries	Cultivation	Manufacturing/Processing	Transportation
73	0	0	0

Every state has different marijuana laws- they are regulated by state, not federal law. Some states allow marijuana for recreational and medical use, some states only allow medical use, and some only allow certain low THC products for medical use. Most states limit the number of licenses they will grant and the window to apply for them. Getting licenced is never simple- there are very specific requirements and guidelines that differ by state and its usually highly competitive, which is why most successful applicants work with consultants like Dispensary Permits to help guide them. We highly advise you read the guidelines below thoroughly and then consider working with a consultant or using our templates and guides.
You can read the full text of the Ohio Marijuana Business Licenses law at: www.legislature.ohio.gov

Ohio Medical Marijuana Cultivation License Guidelines

Cultivation license holders are allowed to cultivate medical marijuana and deliver or sell medical marijuana to one or more licensed processors.

The Ohio Department of Commerce (ODC) is responsible for overseeing medical marijuana cultivators, processors and testing laboratories. There are two (2) types of Cultivator License available:

Level I Cultivator License means a cultivator that is permitted to operate up to twenty-five thousand (25,000) square footage of space designated as the marijuana cultivation area in the application. The ODC may issue up to twelve (12) Level I Cultivator Licenses. Level I cultivator application fee is twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) and must establish and maintain an escrow account in a chartered financial institution in Ohio in the amount of seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000).
Level II Cultivator License means a cultivator that is permitted to operate up to three thousand (3,000) square footage of space designated as the marijuana cultivation area in the application. The ODC may issue up to twelve (12) Level II Cultivator Licenses. Level II cultivator application is two thousand dollars ($2,000) and must establish and maintain an escrow account in a chartered financial institution in Ohio in the amount of seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000).

A Cultivator License Applicant may only apply for one (1) type of Cultivation License (for example, a Level I Cultivator License Applicant shall be prohibited from applying for a Level II Cultivator License, and vice versa).

RECOMMENDED OHIO MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR CULTIVATION APPLICATION:

Ohio Medical Marijuana Processor License Guidelines

Processor license holders are allowed to obtain medical marijuana from one or more licensed cultivators and process medical marijuana into a form described in the Program’s Laws and Regulations as well as deliver or sell processed medical marijuana to one or more licensed retail dispensaries. The ODC may issue up to forty (40) Processor Licenses. Processor application fee is ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

The Ohio Department of Commerce (ODC) is responsible for overseeing medical marijuana cultivators, processors and testing laboratories.

RECOMMENDED OHIO MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR PROCESSOR APPLICATION:

Ohio Medical Marijuana Dispensary License Guidelines

Dispensary license holders are allowed to obtain medical marijuana from one or more processors and dispense or sell medical marijuana to qualifying patients and caregivers. A dispensary may not be any less than 500 feet from a school, church, public library, public playground or public park as well as remaining ensuring the location meets local zoning laws within their respective city/county. The nonrefundable application fee for a dispensary license is set at $5,000 and must provide proof that the applicant has adequate liquid assets to cover all expenses and costs of the first year of less than $250,000.

The State Board of Pharmacy (BOP) is responsible for overseeing medical marijuana retail dispensaries, the registration of medical marijuana patients and caregivers, the approval of new forms of medical marijuana and coordinating the Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee.

RECOMMENDED OHIO MARIJUANA BUSINESS PLANS FOR DISPENSARY APPLICATION:

The History of Ohio Marijuana Business Licenses Marijuana

Ohio legalized medical marijuana when Governor John Kasich signed HB 523 into law on June 8th, 2016. The law took effect on September 8, 2016, legalizing medical marijuana access for patients suffering from qualifying medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, Cancer, Crohn’s disease, Hepatitis C, chronic/severe pain and more. Qualifying Patients will obtain medical marijuana from state-licensed Medical Marijuana Retail Dispensaries. The state issued licenses for Cultivation, Processing, Lab Testing and Retail Dispensing facilities in 2017 and 2018. A total of 12 cultivation licenses, 7 processor licenses, and 57 dispensary licenses were issued.

On April 19, 2021, the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy approved increasing the number of dispensary licenses in Ohio by 73. The announcement can be accessed here and copy of the presentation can be accessed here. If all 73 licenses are awarded, this will bring the total number of Ohio dispensary licenses to 130.

The licenses will be awarded using an application process (known as RFA II) that is expected to be announced in Spring/Summer 2021. The timing of this announcement will be based on when the Board’s pending rule changes regarding the application process are made final.

Qualifying Medical Conditions: AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or another seizure disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable, Parkinson’s disease, positive status for HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, spinal cord disease or injury, Tourette’s syndrome, traumatic brain injury, and ulcerative colitis.

Regulating Department: Visit the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control website for all marijuana program related information. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy licenses and regulates dispensaries while the Ohio Department of Commerce licenses and regulates cultivation, processing, and lab testing facilities.

Program Timeline:
September 8, 2016 – Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program Established
May 6, 2017 – Cultivator Rules Adopted
June 2017 – Application submission for Cultivator Licenses
September 8, 2017 – Processor, Testing and Dispensary Rules Adopted
September 8, 2017 – Patient/Caregiver and Physician Rules Adopted
November 3 – 17, 2017 – Application submission for Dispensary Licenses
December 4 – 15, 2017 – Application Submissions for Processor Licenses
April 19, 2021 – Board of Pharmacy approves adding 73 dispensary licenses
TBD, Spring/Summer 2021 – State to begin accepting applications for dispensary licenses