The first of 56 medical marijuana dispensaries may open this week in Eastern Ohio.
Results of tests on samples from some state-licensed marijuana growers could arrive within the week. A dispensary in Wintersville wants to make its first sale soon.
Mark Hamlin with the Ohio Department of Commerce says to not expect many products on the shelves, though.
"We know that product availability will be tight to begin with,” Hamlin says. “That's what we expect from talking with our licensees and it's what we have seen in every other state that has a program like this."
Just one testing lab, in Streetsboro, has so far won approval. All marijuana must be tested for potency and purity before it can be sold.
Patients with one of 21 qualifying conditions can buy medical marijuana if recommended by a state-certified doctor. Some 4,500 patients have so far been recommended, with just over 3,000 completing their registrations.
The state medical board is currently considering adding more conditions to the list, including anxiety disorder, depression, and opioid addiction.
