What are the Qualifying Conditions for a Medical Card in Ohio in 2024?

Photo by Fernando Huelgas

Is Medical Marijuana Legal in Ohio?

Yes, medical marijuana is legal in Ohio as of September 8, 2016. It’s exclusively available to patients with qualifying medical conditions under the recommendation of a state-licensed physician. This post will cover how to get your medical marijuana card in Ohio and review these illnesses and help you if your condition may not be listed.

House Bill 523 legalized medical marijuana in Ohio. It outlined the logistics of the medical marijuana program within the state including Ohio’s medical marijuana conditions. Essentially, states with medical marijuana programs decide at the state level which conditions are approved for marijuana prescriptions.

They also create a process to update this list. Often patients or medical professionals can submit petitions for new conditions to be added. This can be a simple or complex process and even require supporting medical studies that prove cannabis is a proper treatment for your conditions.

Ohio voters recently voted to legalize the possession of recreational cannabis on November 7, 2023 with Issue 2. It officially opened the state to recreational cannabis sales which began Tuesday, August 6, 2024.

This page outlines valuable information to understand Ohio’s qualifying conditions for a medical card as well as restrictions and limitations for getting your medical marijuana approval. Before diving in are there any potential consequences to getting your card?

What Are The Consequences Of Getting A Medical Card In Ohio?

There are a few consequences, based on Ohio marijuana laws, to getting your medical card and using medical marijuana. They can potentially impact a few areas of your life. It is important to consider these factors before applying for your medical marijuana card. Despite recreational marijuana being legalized, these laws still stand firm.

For example, Ohio law currently allows employers to fire, discipline, refuse to hire or take action against an employee based on their possession or use of cannabis, even if that cannabis is legally obtained.

Employers are allowed to enforce their own drug testing policies and establish drug-free or zero tolerance workplace policies. This means your legal use of cannabis can violate these policies and would be just cause for your to be fired. This counts as firing for cause which would also make you ineligible for collecting unemployment insurance.

Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations for the United States Department of Transportation designates the rules for drug testing for transportation workers which remain in place for medical marijuana patients. Additionally, government jobs are also subject to drug testing which can be violated by medical marijuana use. The Schedule I status of cannabis federally means even legal use of cannabis would violate federal law.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) considers a user of cannabis, even if it’s legal or medical, to be an unlawful user. This means shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing firearms or ammunition while having a medical marijuana card would violate federal law. Spouses of medical marijuana card holders can possess firearms but if a cardholder were to use it that would also violate the law.

It’s important to consider these factors when deciding to get your medical marijuana card in Ohio. Additionally, Ohio marijuana laws might be subject to change as recreational cannabis impacts the economy which may lighten some of these restrictions.

Additionally, the DEA has considered rescheduling cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III which could shift some of these laws a bit but that still could take time.

Medical Card Eligibility in Ohio: Requirements & Limitations

There are some requirements and limitations for medical marijuana that are important to understand if you’re planning to get your medical marijuana card in Ohio.

In order to obtain medical marijuana in Ohio, you must be a legal resident, have a valid ID, must visit a state-licensed physician, and have a qualifying condition. Adults 21 and over can legally purchase recreational cannabis but are subject to a 10% in taxes and have limitations for how much they can have.

Even legalized marijuana has limitations. Medical marijuana patients are limited to being able to have a 90 day supply of cannabis. They are only allowed to obtain this within 45 day fill periods. The idea being you essentially have a 45 day supply at a time. If you don’t fill your 45-day max it does not carry over so you can only fill up to 45 days worth at a time.

The maximum cannabis fill limits for different types of cannabis products are:

• Dried Flower: up to 9 ounces per 90 days.
• THC Oil (For Vaping): up to 53.1 grams of THC content.
• Edibles/Tinctures: up to 9.9 grams of THC.
• Topicals: up to 26.55 grams of THC content for lotions and creams.

Additional limitations include smoking cannabis is not legal for medical marijuana patients and their cannabis products are non-transferrable despite recreational cannabis being legal. The limits for recreational cannabis are 2.5 ounces of cannabis and 15 grams of extracts or edibles.

Now that you know if you can qualify for a medical marijuana card let’s review the list of approved diseases or disorders that qualify for a medical marijuana card in Ohio.

What are the Ohio Medical Marijuana Card Qualifying Conditions in 2024?

Medical marijuana laws throughout the US often require that you have a state approved condition that qualifies for a medical marijuana card in Ohio. Those conditions include:

• AIDS
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Cachexia
• Cancer
• Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
• Crohn’s Disease
• Epilepsy Or Another Seizure Disorder
• Fibromyalgia
• Glaucoma
• Hepatitis C
• HIV
• Huntington’s Disease
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Pain That Is Either Chronic And Severe Or Intractable
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Spasticity
• Spinal Cord Disease Or Injury
• Terminal Illness
• Tourette’s Syndrome
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Ulcerative Colitis

While conditions like insomnia, anxiety and depression are not listed there is a way these conditions might qualify under a larger qualifying medical marijuana condition. For example, the state board has approved the following illnesses covered by chronic or intractable pain:

• Arthritis
• Chronic Migraines
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Degenerative Disc Disease
• Lupus

Additionally, there’s a petition period where you can apply to the medical board for your condition to qualify for medical marijuana. For more information check out this post on the state’s website.

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How to Acquire a Medical Marijuana Card in Ohio in 3 Easy Steps

Green Health Docs makes getting your card or renewing your medical marijuana card simple. We have state-approved physicians readily available to give you same-day appointments and a process to make getting your card seamless.

1. Book an Appointment

Schedule by filling out this form or call or text 240-356-1000 to set up your consultation over the phone. We offer same-day appointments and you can be seen by an Ohio doctor within 15 minutes of scheduling!

2. Have Your Appointment

Your doctor will determine whether you have a qualifying medical condition for an Ohio with a short convenient visit.

3. Get Your OH Medical Card

If approved, our doctor will enter your recommendation online with the state immediately so that you can get your Ohio medical marijuana card the same day! You will receive an email and once you set a password for the Ohio Medical Marijuana registry you can activate your card and you’ll be able to visit your local dispensary.

Ohio Medical Marijuanas Card Qualifications FAQs

Here are a few commonly asked questions about Ohio’s medical marijuana program, the laws in place and how they all might affect you.

Are There Any New Qualifying Conditions For A Medical Card In Ohio?

In 2024, petitions to add the following conditions were considered by the state:

1. End Stage Renal Disease, Dialysis Treatment
2. Insomnia
3. Female Orgasmic Difficulty Disorder (FOD)
4. Autism Spectrum Disorder

The next period to submit petitions for new qualifying medical conditions is November 1 – December 31, 2024 so there is still time to implement change.

Are There Any Other Consequences Of Getting A Medical Card In Ohio?

In addition to impacting firearm possession or employment there are potential areas of your life that might be affected by having a medical marijuana card. It could potentially affect life or disability insurance depending on the issuer.

Your landlord could have a policy about possessing cannabis which limits cannabis possession on the property. It also could potentially disqualify you from federal housing programs or organizations. You also could be restricted from obtaining a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) under federal law.

Does Anxiety Qualify For Medical Marijuanas In Ohio?

Anxiety does not currently qualify for medical marijuana as a qualifying medical condition. However, anxiety can be present or combined with another diagnosis which is a qualifying condition.

For example, if your anxiety is caused by PTSD, a traumatic brain injury or accompanying chronic pain then your doctor may still recommend cannabis as treatment. It’s valuable to see a medical marijuana doctor to see if you qualify for a condition in addition to anxiety in Ohio.

Where Can I Find A Doctor In Ohio That Specializes In Medical Marijuana?

Green Health Docs has doctors who not only specialize in medical marijuana they are state-licensed to dispense medical marijuana prescriptions. This page provides information for how to contact and schedule a same-day appointment.

When Will Medical Marijuanas Be Available In Ohio Dispensaries?

Medical marijuana is currently available at the following dispensaries. Recreational marijuana sales have also opened as of August 6, 2024.

Final Thoughts

Obtaining medical marijuana in Ohio can be simple but you must have one of the conditions listed on this page. Even if your condition isn’t explicitly listed it could be potentially covered under a qualifying condition, or petitioned to be added to the state’s list.

Hopefully this page has given you a clear picture of how to get your medical marijuana card, important issues to consider when applying and how to navigate Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Control Program. Green Health Docs are happy to help you get your medical marijuana card in Ohio quickly and seamlessly.

This article has been reviewed by Dr. Anand Dugar, an anesthesiologist, pain medicine physician and the founder of Green Health Docs. Graduating from medical school in 2004 and residency in 2008, Dr. Dugar has been a licensed physician for almost 20 years and has been leading the push for medical cannabis nationwide.