Final Ohio Medical Marijuana Cultivation Rules & Regulations For Licensing Released

Final Ohio Medical Marijuana Cultivation Rules & Regulations For Licensing Released

 

The cultivator rules for 24 grow sites have been finalized for Ohio’s Medical Marijuana program:

12 Level 1 – 25,000 sq.ft.

12 Level 2 – 3,000 sq.ft.

The Department of Commerce could be able to further expand the number of licenses or square footage for grows beginning in September 2018.

Also included in the rules is an outline for application and license fees for Ohio Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, Processors and Testing Labs, passed the Ohio legislature’s Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review without objection on Monday.

The rules will be officially filed by the end of April and are set to take effect before the May 6 statutory deadline.  Rather than divide the state into four quadrants, as initially discussed, licenses will be awarded across the state to the best applicants through a point system and lottery.

The license fees and financial requirements are among the highest of the country’s 28 medical marijuana programs.  The state will charge a $20,000 non-refundable application fee and $180,000 license fee for large grows, and a $2,000 application fee and an $18,000 license fee for small cultivators.

The Commerce department will begin taking applications for grower licenses in June. Applicants must meet baseline financial criteria and have local approval for their proposed site, among other requirements.

Rules and regulations for dispensaries, processors and laboratories are still being worked on but must be in place by Sept. 8.

The Ohio Medical Marijuana program will be putting out a webinar in the next few weeks to help guide everyone through the process of filling out the application.  We will continue to cover this as it happens.

Other requirements for cultivators:

  • A person or company cannot own or invest in more than one cultivator.
  • Applicants must show local support for the plan and no bans or moratoriums can be in place.
  • Demonstrate the facility will be secured by fencing, 24-hour surveillance and security alarms.
  • Maintain an inventory of at least 20 pounds of medical marijuana for large growers and 10 pounds for small growers.

How will applications be scored?

Applications will be screened first to determine whether they are complete. A separate panel of reviewers will then score the applications based on criteria set by the rules. The applications reviewed in this stage won’t include identifiable information.

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