CLEVELAND – In 2024, Ohio eliminated the fee to buy a medical marijuana patient or caregiver card, a rule applying to new card applications and renewals alike. Yet, Ohio’s medical registry has fallen by 30 percent since recreational sales began last August. Adult-use cannabis sales, meanwhile, are surging.
The state shortfall – from 160,000 patients to about 112,000 – reflects a larger national trend. According to the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, markets that have switched to adult-use have lost about one-third of medical marijuana patients. Industry analysts suggest that the larger recreational market has diverted attention away from medical patients, who now have a diminished product selection, reports CleveScene.
In Ohio, an initial price spike may have pushed some medical customers away, notes Patrick Wurzbacher, strategy and analytics manager for Certified Cultivators, a family-owned cannabis grower and processor based in Dayton.
Despite indications of decreasing prices, the average cost of marijuana per ounce in Ohio is $192.40, compared to $71.80 in Michigan. At the same time, many patients no longer see the value in renewing their medical cards, opting instead for the convenience of a recreational purchase, noted Wurzbache
Meanwhile, the appeal of anonymity is drawing some former medical patients to the rec side. Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, or PDMPs, give clinicians information on a patient’s prescription history. Since medical buyers can now access their needs through the recreational market, PDMPs have become an unnecessary burden, Wurzbacher said.
And while Ohio has waived its medical card registration fee, the $150-$200 doctor’s visit required for would-be patients remains a significant impasse.
“People know what they need, and can just pick it up at a dispensary without paying a doctor’s fee, said Wurzbacher. “It’s about cost and convenience.”
Then there are long-time patients like Mary Jane Borden, who joined Ohio’s medical market almost immediately upon its 2019 inception. Borden, who lives in the Columbus suburb of Westerville, uses cannabis to relieve chronic pain from a permanently dislocated ankle.
In recent years, she turned to marijuana-infused oil to manage an aggressive form of breast cancer. Early studies have shown that THC – the chemical primarily responsible for the cannabis “high” – has some efficacy in lab animals to stop tumor growth. In Borden’s case, she will be five years cancer-free in September, she says.
Borden also believes the reports on Ohio’s patient decline are overblown, considering marijuana sales continue to grow at a fast pace. Per figures from the state Division of Cannabis Control, legal marijuana sales reached over $90 million in January, following a total of over $240 million in sales from August to December.
Anecdotally, at least, Borden has observed fewer medical patients at her favorite dispensary, she said.
“Dispensaries no longer have long lines,” Borden said. “And I have to say, that in-and-out of a dispensary for me usually takes no longer than 10-20 minutes. I place my orders in advance.”
While Borden generally praises Ohio’s medical program, she remains concerned about patient access due to stringent state advertising regulations.
Read more at CleveScene
