I’m thinking about getting my medical marijuana card but I’m nervous about giving out my information. What are the consequences of having a medical card in Ohio?
Philip B.
It’s definitely worth getting your medical marijuana card in Ohio, but it won’t save you from all the consequences of smoking marijuana. When you register for a medical marijuana card, your personal information is entered into the state’s Patient Registry. The Board of Pharmacy and licensed dispensaries are prohibited from sharing this information or making it public.
That said, it’s your responsibility to keep your consumption information as private as you need to. Cannabis is still federally illegal. So if your employer has a no-tolerance policy for illicit substances and someone at work finds out you have a medical card, then you could be at risk of losing your job. If you’re not sure, you may want to find your employer’s stance before you register for your card, just in case.
Some local jurisdictions of Ohio have decriminalized marijuana and treat minor offenses like a traffic violation. This means there’s no prison time or criminal record for a first-time offense if it’s a small amount of marijuana for personal consumption.
Julie C.
Your medical marijuana registration information will never be made public without your authorization. In order to register for your medical marijuana card in Ohio, you have to meet the qualifying conditions. These conditions include cancer, AIDS, chronic pain, epilepsy, terminal illness, and many more. Once you meet with a licensed doctor to confirm your condition and register for your card, you can legally buy marijuana at certified dispensaries.
Since cannabis is still illegal at the federal level, you could go to jail if you tried to resell your medical cannabis to anyone else. Penalties for cannabis offenses in Ohio range from misdemeanors with small fines for possession of 100 grams to eight years in prison and $20,000 fines for a felony charge of possessing upwards of 40,000 grams.
Even though medical marijuana is allowed, you still want to be discreet about your cannabis consumption. There’s no smoking in Ohio, so smoking anywhere public would be a bad idea. And if you get caught driving under the influence of cannabis, you could get a DUI ticket and have your driver’s license suspended. To avoid penalties, it’s best to play it safe and avoid driving if you’ve consumed any cannabis products.
Thomas G.
If you plan on smoking marijuana and you meet the qualifying conditions, it’s definitely worth getting your card. Cannabis possession is already decriminalized in many parts of Ohio, so you may wonder why you should get your card. There are so many reasons!
For one, you can legally buy up to eight ounces of flower every 90 days. If you didn’t have a card and you got caught with that amount, it would be considered a felony punishable with up to a year in prison. No thanks.
I appreciate buying my marijuana from a legal dispensary at a time and place that is convenient for me. The beauty of the dispensary is that they carry a variety of products aside from flower, like tinctures, oils, vapes, and lotions. A lot of these products you can’t find anywhere else and they’re hard to make at home. They go through a testing process so you know they’re free of mold and pesticides, plus you get accurate information on the THC, CBD, and terpene contents.
There is something like 58 dispensaries to choose from in Ohio. All the dispensaries I visited were staffed with friendly, knowledgeable people who want to help. The one-on-one consultations with pharmacists are one of my favorite benefits of buying medical marijuana at a dispensary. There are some products I never would have tried if the pharmacist hadn’t recommended them to me. At Rise Detroit, they introduced me to 1:1 CBD vapes like the Rythm 1:1 Sweet and Sour Widow cartridge. I had never tried a tincture before I went to a dispensary and now I use The Botanist Soothe 1:1 CBD tincture almost every day.
If you’re only holding back on registering because you’re nervous that your information will get out, you should know that it’s against the law for anyone to share your medical patient information. I would say, go for it! You’ll be happy you did.
Sara M.
