Medical marijuana is coming to Ohio

Ohio passed its medical marijuana law, House Bill 523, under former Ohio Governor John Kasich in 2016 but it was just officially enacted two weeks ago. The law allows patients who are over the age of 21 to have access to medical marijuana, which can be purchased at dispensaries throughout the state. There are plans for 60 dispensaries to open throughout Ohio.

Although marijuana is legalized for medical purposes throughout the state of Ohio, it is unlikely that qualified patients who are also college students will be able to bring any amount of marijuana onto their respective campuses, including Kent State University’s Kent and regional campuses. This is a result of the current Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, drug policies that public universities are required to comply with to receive federal funding.

Todd Kamenash, the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Conduct for Kent State University, explains the predicament that the University finds themselves in.

“So, we can’t recognize medical marijuana here because federally, it is still considered a controlled substance,” Kamenash said. “Even though our state is more progressive about allowing it for certain purposes, we can’t do that because of the federal funding we receive.”

According to Kent State’s Code of Student Conduct the use, possession, sale or distribution of narcotics, controlled substances, and/or related paraphernalia is prohibited.  This code, along with the current federal standing, puts the university in a difficult situation where students who are abiding to Ohio law will not be allowed to possess any medical cannabis due to federal laws.

“It’s absolutely foreseeable that the federal government will start to take steps towards taking it off of the controlled substance schedule. Some people in Congress have already begun those steps actually, but currently there’s not a whole lot the university can do because of the funding,” Kamenash said.

The university looks for guidance in the Association for Student Conduct Administrators.  The association includes universities in places such as Oregon, California and Colorado, states that have authorized the use of marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes.  Some of these other universities are facing the same issue as Kent State– since they receive funding from the federal government, they are unable to allow the use of marijuana, in any form, on their campuses. Many administrators are frustrated with the situation.

“It’s tough because we think ourselves as educators and we’re beholden to the times that we are in,” Kamenash said. “This is a situation where we can see that we are on the cusp of being behind the times, but we are limited in how we can address it.”

For patients to be recognized as eligible recipients they must qualify for one or more of the 21 conditions approved by State Medical Board of Ohio, according to Ohio Marijuana Card, a business that helps individuals undergo the process of obtaining their very own medical marijuana card. The qualified conditions include chronic pain, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Under current Ohio law, individuals who are interested in using marijuana for medical treatment are required to obtain a medical marijuana card, which grants them access to a range of products available in the form of edibles, tinctures, topicals and vaporizers. Ohio law does not allow patients to consume cannabis through any method that involves combustion so patients cannot smoke or grow cannabis in their homes.

In order for patients to be approved they must be evaluated by a state-certified medical marijuana doctor, provide medical records that document their qualifying conditions and pay an annual registration fee to the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy. Once this is completed, individuals who are deemed eligible will have access to the online Patient Registry where they can then print off their official Ohio medical marijuana card.

The topic of Medical marijuana has grown in popularity over the last five years as 10 out of 50 states have passed legislation that makes marijuana legal for recreational and medical purposes, providing cannabis advocates with state-by-state victories in the process. According to Esquire, 23 more states have legalized medical cannabis and the number has steadily grown since the 2016 presidential elections. You can view all states that have legalized marijuana here.

However, there is widespread confusion surrounding the status of medical marijuana in Ohio, with many people unsure if they qualify and how and where they will obtain medical cannabis.

Jake Richardson, lead marketing manager at Ohio Marijuana Card, believes that the uncertainty is down to cannabis still being listed as a schedule 1 drug under federal law.

This presents a grey area for many states that have legalized recreational and/or medical cannabis as debate continues to revolve around this question: do law enforcement prosecute individuals who are legally permitted to use medical marijuana, according to their respective state laws, since it is still illegal federally?

“As far as Ohio goes, medical cannabis is legal but there is a disparity that federally it is still a schedule 1 drug, so it is in the same boat as heroin, cocaine, PCP and acid,” Richardson said. “If there are so many doctors that have validated and accepted it as medicine, it is a paradigm shift that needs to happen at the highest levels of government because without it you are still going to have these disparities.”

Richardson believes that as more states continue to legalize cannabis, awareness of its potential therapeutic benefits will be enhanced and will allow more cannabis research to be funded.

He estimates that when he first started working at Ohio Marijuana card, he would receive around 150 to 200 phone calls a day on average. He notes that there has been a substantial influx of phone calls and in person meetings since the dispensaries just recently opened. The number of workers in their call center has increased from four to twenty in order to accommodate the growing number of curious customers.

“99.9 % of the people I talk to have terrible debilitating conditions,” Richardson said. “They are in pain and their doctors are essentially holding them hostage by keeping them on painkillers. I want to get them the help they need. It makes me feel good at the end of the day to be able to help people get relief, know that it is helping them and turning them into advocates as well.”

While there are 21 approved conditions for patients to use medical marijuana, Richardson said that chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are the most common symptoms that patients seek help for. Many veterans have already visited several Ohio Marijuana Card locations throughout Ohio to learn more about their qualifications and how medical cannabis may help alleviate their symptoms.

A growing number of studies have revealed the therapeutic potential medical cannabis may provide for individuals diagnosed with PTSD, a psychiatric disorder that can lead to the development of insomnia, chronic anxiety and reliving certain traumatic experiences. A study published by CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics concluded that synthetic cannabinoids are an effective alternative for alleviating nightmares for PTSD patients.

It is a mixed bag though. Medical cannabis has also been linked with the possible development of substance use disorders in PTSD patients as well. According to a study published in the journal Clinical Psychology, people diagnosed with PTSD are two to four times more likely to struggle with addictive coping mechanisms compared to their peers who do not have PTSD. Additional research will be needed to address current findings and possible treatment routes for patients. There is still much more to learn about the long-term effects of medical cannabis.

Richardson believes that Cleveland and the state of Ohio are ready to welcome medical marijuana. Since Ohio Marijuana Card first opened in late 2017, interest in the company’s mission and medical marijuana industry have steadily grown and are now peaking with the new law coming into effect.

“As it goes for Ohio, I think that the movement is just going to keep gaining steam, moving forward, the stigma is going to be reduced even more and we are going to keep trying to help as many patients to get relief as we can,” Richardson said. “That is the immediate and the long-term goals. We want to help people no matter what. We have helped thousands of people so far and it feels good. It makes a difference and it helps me sleep better at night.”

Randy Davis, the current Treasurer and former chapter leader of the Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), understands Kent State’s restricted stance on medical marijuana.

Davis has been a member of SSDP since 2016.  During the spring of 2018, shortly after medical marijuana became legal in Ohio, the organization began to work with administrators at the university to find a way for medical marijuana patients, who are also students at Kent State, to legally use it on campus. The university explained to them that they were unable to do anything.

“They told us that they would just keep it blanket-banned on campus because it’s still against federal law and they don’t want to lose money from grants and other federal funding, so that I understand,” Davis said.

However, he believes something needs to be done.

“I know that laws that are related to medical cannabis and the ailments that are eligible for patients are pretty severe,” Davis said. “So, if the student were documented, there should be a way for use to take place in the legal form.”

Davis explained that he knows many students who qualify but cannot use marijuana to medicate on campus. He even went as far to say that some of them are scared to face any penalties.

“There was one person who was afraid of getting kicked out of the residence halls, merely just for the possession of it,” Davis said. “Another one was simply scared of punishment from the university for doing something that is legally allowed by state law.”

When looking into medical marijuana it is important to understand the differences between Tetrahydrocannabinol, more widely known as “THC”, and Cannabidiol, or “CBD.” THC is known for its promotion of the euphoric effects commonly associated with the use of cannabis, reports LiveScience. We all possess cannabinoid receptors that are located in certain areas of our brains associated with memory, decision-making and pleasure. THC acts as an agent which activates our cannabinoid 1 receptor and causes the brain to release dopamine, providing the uplifting effects many users desire.

CBD is the other major compound derived from the cannabis plant. It is non-psychoactive, meaning that it does not produce the mind-altering effects that THC does. Many patients are interested in CBD because it does not cause the user to get high, allowing the compound to successfully navigate through various political and legal hurdles so far. Numerous studies have found evidence which suggests that CBD can help treat and alleviate symptoms of epilepsy, schizophrenia, heart disease and other illnesses.

There seems to be a consensus that the medical marijuana codes and regulations need to be adjusted as the local medical cannabis industry continues to develop throughout Ohio.

For now, it seems to be a waiting game for students and administrators at Kent State University. This question will likely need to be addressed soon as more of the estimated 60 dispensaries open throughout the state in the near future.

Print: Tyler Haughn and Chad Flannery