Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program at Five Years: Evaluating Satisfaction and Perception

Abstract

This report traces the evolution of the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (OMMCP) since its inception in January 2019 to date. In addition to providing information about the growth of OMMCP in respect to sales, sales receipts and taxes collected, the report provides survey results focused on OMMCP patients’ and prospective patients’ satisfaction levels with the functioning and design of the program. While satisfaction levels continue to rise, patients continue to voice concerns about some aspects of the medical marijuana program including the price of cannabis products in Ohio dispensaries, lack of legal protections for patients, and the cost and difficulty of obtaining OMMCP patient card. Similarly to last year’s report, the final section includes recommendations for policy and regulatory changes that could have positive impact on patients’ satisfaction with OMMCP and provides information on which of these policy recommendations would be addressed should the November 2023 ballot initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis in Ohio pass.

Note:

Funding Information: None.

Conflict of Interests: None to declare.

Ethical Approval: The study has undergone an IRB review at The Ohio State University and was approved as no ethical concerns were noted. The survey was completely anonymous, no identifying information was collected from participants. Risks and benefits were explained at the start of the survey, and each respondent was then asked to either agree and proceed to the survey, or to close the window and not participate.

Keywords: Ohio medical marijuana, patient satisfaction and experience, Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program, evolution of medical marijuana program, medical marijuana price, medical marijuana market, cannabis