Some doctors in Toledo are already giving patients cards enabling them to buy medical marijuana, and classes are popping up for Ohio physicians in this new legal field.
But proper rules to help physicians sail these uncharted waters are still months away. No physician has been certified in Ohio to recommend cannabis, and no continuing education seminar has been formally sanctioned.
Omni Medical Services, which began in Michigan and runs in Florida and Illinois, also provides doctors to clinics in Toledo, Lima. Qualifying patients walk away with ?affirmative defense? letters as well as a list of Michigan dispensaries where they may buy marijuana to bring back to Ohio, without hindrance by law enforcement.
It could be as late as September 8 before Ohio?s rules for physicians are finalized, and the program?s deadline to be completely functional isn?t until a year after that. Marijuana still cannot be lawfully sold or bought here.
The Ohio State Medical Association has advised members to wait until rules are finalized before stepping into this overcast legal territory.