Why Is It So Difficult To Find Ohio Marijuana Information?
The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program has been called one of the most regulated industries in the entire state of Ohio. For this reason, there are many things that patients may see in other state-licensed medical marijuana program that we do not see in Ohio's program.
One of the most consequential restrictions, for both operators and patients, are the restrictions placed on dispensaries, cultivators, and processors in the OMMCP. The regulations seriously restrict medical cannabis operators in Ohio from interacting with patients digitally, unable to answer any questions digitally outside of social media Private or Direct Messages and email. This is the reason why, if you have commented a question on a dispensary or cultivator's post, the dispensary and/or cultivator will not respond to the comment publicly.
These restrictions are not only a hinderance for the cannabis operators, as it limits their ability to brand and spread cannabis education, but it also creates an environment of misinformation and lack of trust in claims made as it is very difficult to verify claims.
Are Dispensaries Allowed to Be on Social Media?
While licensed Ohio dispensaries, cultivators, and processors are allowed to operate social media accounts, it is not as simple as sharing a post whenever they would like. In Ohio's program, any social media post planned by a medical cannabis operator are required to send the post to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy at least 14 days prior to posting for review and approval. It is not rare for social media post ideas to be denied, and often the designs will be required to have some edits made. What this ultimately means is that it is very difficult for operators in Ohio to effectively plan and schedule posts with such advanced knowledge - including discounts and deals, educational posts, etc.
What Can Dispensaries Tell Patients Online?
When Ohio's medical marijuana program first became operational in January of 2019 you may have noticed that few, if any, medical cannabis operators in Ohio had social media profiles, and if they did there were little to not posts. It seems as though State regulators are beginning to relax the restrictions dispensaries and cultivators face on social media, as more and more dispensaries and cultivators are joining social media and posting regularly.
There are a few limitations that seem to have stuck as there cannot be a marijuana leaf in the design, and most consequentially they are unable to share photos of products. Outside of those restrictions, we have seen more and more dispensaries posting pricing and the discounts and deals being offered, and other Ohio cannabis advocates have filled the space to provide patients with pictures of Ohio products and more detailed reviews.
How Can I Find Dispensary and Ohio Marijuana Product Information?
While the advertising restrictions in Ohio limit dispensaries and cultivators from directly interacting with the public, this ultimately limits patient ability to easily and accurately obtain information within Ohio's program. For this reason, we spend a significant amount of time and resources at Ohio Marijuana Card identifying useful patient resources and expanding medical cannabis education.
We have created the following pages for Ohio medical marijuana patients:
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Ohio Dispensary Locations; with specific pages for each dispensary that includes contact information, discounts and deals, and the dispensary's menu and pricing.
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Best Dispensary Prices; product-by-product, we link the dispensary that offers the lowest prices.
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Dispensary Discounts and Deals; all dispensaries in Ohio's medical marijuana program are allowed to offer patients that qualify under Veteran status or under SSI/SSDI supplemental income specialized discounts.
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Ohio Dispensary Menus; Ohio dispensaries host live menus across a number of different platforms, and for this reason we have compiled links to all of the most accurate menus for each Ohio dispensary.
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Additional Patient Resources; ranging from Cannabis 101 education to specific resources for Ohio medical marijuana patients.