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Ohio Misses Sept. 8 Deadline for Medical Marijuana Program
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – While Ohio blew past the deadline Saturday for rolling out its medical marijuana program, the pot industry is confident greener days are coming soon.
Tom Rosenberger, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association of Ohio, says it’s not uncommon for states’ marijuana programs to be delayed, sometimes for years, by legal, regulatory or logistical snags.
He says licensees will combine to invest more than $100 million in Ohio even before sales have begun.
The three offices that share responsibility for Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Control Program – the Commerce Department and the state medical and pharmacy boards – say Ohio’s two-year implementation schedule was aggressive.
The state has certified some 250 doctors and provisionally licensed 26 large and small growers, four testing labs, 40 processors, and 56 dispensaries.