Ohio delays awarding medical cannabis dispensary licenses

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Ohio medical marijuana dispensary applicants must wait until June, at the earliest, to find out if they will be licensed – a delay that could prove costly for aspiring business owners.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy canceled a May 23 meeting to announce licensees and now plans to award the permits at its regular monthly meeting June 4-6.

According to the newspaper, some applicants have shelled out “thousands of dollars each month to hold properties” while they await word on whether they’ve been licensed.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • The pharmacy board can award as many as 57 dispensary licenses statewide. The law allows for 60 total, but the state didn’t receive applications in two districts.
  • The dispensary applications have been scored, but the board is waiting on background checks and verifying if all requirements have been met.
  • The state is required by law to get the program up and running by Sept. 8.
  • MMJ patients are expected to start signing up for the program in July.