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Marijuana dispensary poised to open

By Janelle Patterson 7 min read

Medical marijuana, while legal in Ohio, comes with layers of regulation that both the dispensary to be open by months’ end in Marietta and local law enforcement are preparing for.

“I don’t anticipate any real problems with that facility,” said Capt. Aaron Nedeff, of the Marietta Police Department. “We made a few recommendations on security to them and to the pharmacy board agent who was here, but there weren’t any major issues we saw when we toured Monday.”

The dispensary, Strawberry Fields, is on track to open potentially by the end of June, following the law enforcement tour Monday and an inspection from the Ohio Board of Pharmacy Wednesday.

Marietta Police Chief Rodney Hupp said Thursday he has recommended the dispensary coordinate with the city engineer and Ohio Department of Transportation though to mitigate traffic concerns with cars leaving the business and entering Greene Street just before the Williamstown Bridge intersection.

“We made a recommendation for them to exit for traffic safety onto Fourth Street exclusively,” said Hupp. “But that’s not an enforceable order, its a recommendation addressing some of the concerns we’ve fielded for that location.”

Meanwhile, indoors, the facility is preparing for the state to issue its certificate of operation with renovations complete and visitors dropping by repeatedly asking if the dispensary is open yet.

“We’re constantly having people at the door asking,” said Keri Stan, manager of the facility, on Monday.

But before even stepping foot inside the two layers of secured doors into the dispensary an Ohio resident must first obtain a doctor’s recommendation based on the state’s list of approved conditions that can be treated with medical marijuana.

In Marietta, only one clinician to date will issue such recommendations, at the Ohio Compassionate Care Clinic in Devola on Ohio 7.

That clinic is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday for 30-minute visits with the physician ranging in cost from $200 for the initial appointment to $100 for follow-ups for renewal or change in recommendation.

Then with that recommendation, explained Stan, the patient and, if they’re underage, their caregiver must register with the state’s Medical Marijuana Control Board, paying a fee to the state, providing identification to be checked each time the caregiver or patient goes to a dispensary with their medical marijuana card downloaded from the control board’s website.

At the dispensary, Stan showed the two sets of locked doors a patient must enter through at the front of the building, the first where a security guard will be the initial review of whether that person has a right to be let into the building.

“Only if you are the patient or the patient’s caregiver will you be allowed into this reception area,” said Stan, noting no children will be allowed through the doors unless they themselves are patients. “Then you’ll be greeted by the desk, and we’ll ask you to fill out the intake forms for being seen here and wait in the lobby until an agent is available to work with you.”

Stan said dispensary agents will be wearing scrubs in the facility, mirroring the pharmaceutical and medical professions but strictly not using the words prescription when talking about the recommendations for marijuana for medicinal use.

Law enforcement was told names for medical marijuana items could include such names as OG Kush for products sold at the Greene Street location.

Inside the dispensary

From the lobby, the front desk faces Greene Street, on the eastern side of the building a handicap-accessible restroom is open to those waiting, but the two other doors from the lobby remained locked Monday.

The first was to a conference room for training, and potentially for additional private consultation with clients if the consultation room behind the dispensary door is in use.

Next, Stan explained, the consultation reviewing the doctor’s recommendation will take place in another locked room at a desk as the patient discusses their symptoms with a dispensary agent and decides which products to purchase.

“None of the confidential information is discussed outside of that room, all we’ll do at the counter is package and complete the sale,” said Stan.

Then the dispensary counters resemble the sales counters of a mobile technology or jewelry store, with locked shelving behind the dispensary agents.

“All of our products will be under lock and key behind the counter during the day, and then we remove that to locked storage in the other portion of our building that’s never open to the public,” said Stan, confirming that products brought into the dispensary after the certificate of operation is valid, will be delivered through the sally port at the back of the building.

Other requirements and possession limits

While the possession of medical marijuana products is legal in the state of Ohio, there are still more restrictions than many may realize, noted Nedeff and Hupp.

“The allowable amounts, and what you do or own while you have it (are restricted),” described Hupp. “The big looming question is the balance between what’s allowed under state law and prohibited by federal law.”

Nedeff said as first defenders of state law, local law enforcement will abide by the regulations the state puts forth on allowance of medical marijuana, noting that a registered patient may possess up to a 90-day supply of oils, tinctures, plant material, edibles, patches, lotions, creams and ointments, and may vape the oils.

“But having a medical marijuana card is not a blanket get-out-of-jail free card,” said Hupp. “If you’re driving impaired and putting in jeopardy the safety of others on the road, then you will be charged.”

Also, the U.S. Department of Justice still enforces the federal firearms restriction concerning Second Amendment rights.

“A number of states have passed legislation allowing under state law the use or possession of marijuana for medicinal purposes and some of these states issue a card authorizing the holder to use or possess marijuana under state law,” wrote Arthur Herbert, assistant director of enforcement programs and services for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in an open letter to all federal firearms licensees. “Any person who uses…marijuana, regardless of whether his or her state has passed legislation authorizing marijuana use for medicinal purposes, is an unlawful user of… a controlled substance. As such, you may not transfer firearms or ammunition to the person.”

So those who chew a medicinal gummy, can’t purchase a firearm.

“And Ohio doesn’t currently have reciprocity with other medical marijuana states,” noted Nedeff. “If you try to purchase with another state’s card, or you bring in your products from another state, that’s still illegal.”

Registering for a medical marijuana card:

• Registration of patients and caregivers in the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program is done through the Patient and Caregiver Registry(ohiomedicalmarijuanaregistry.com).

• The registry is an online portal where physicians with a certificate to recommend can register both patients and caregivers, and issue recommendations.

• After a physician enters your details into the registry, you can begin the process of activating your card:

1. Access your email: Once a recommending physician has entered a patient or caregiver into the registry, the patient/caregiver will receive an email from no-reply-pmpaware@globalnotifications.com with the subject line “Ohio Medical Marijuana Registry User Activation.”

2. Create registry password.

3. Pay the registry fee.

4. Download a medical marijuana card and print.

Source: Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Board.

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