Medical Marijuana Legitimacy

RONY SINHAROY, Pharm.D. | Retail Operations —

The Medical Marijuana Control Program is over three years running in the Buckeye State, and as a pharmacist opening medical cannabis dispensaries in northeast Ohio, here are some thoughts as operations begin.

Roughly fifty percent of patients are over the age of forty and the majority are diagnosed with chronic pain as a qualifying condition. “I want to get off my opioids.” The phrase — often shamefully spoken — depicts the beginning of many conversations. But children suffering from seizure disorders, military veterans who have not slept well in years, and multiple sclerosis patients with debilitating spasms are other examples of patients discovering comfort.

The therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana are encouraging to witness as patients with little to no cannabis experience, down to their last option for symptom relief, are now receiving some.

Medical success stories are commonplace in Ohio dispensaries, but there is much to desire. Advances in cannabis science and patient access will improve when public perception changes. When the question being asked evolves from, “how does our medical marijuana program support Ohioans?” to “how do we as Ohioans support our medical marijuana program?”.