Ohio officials have issued a new license for a medicinal cannabis grower and retailer who was previously denied. The license was rejected due to error regulators made in scoring the application.
Pharmacann Ohio, a cannabis producer, and retailer, has now been awarded Ohio’s 25th provisional license to operate in the Village of Buckeye Lake, located near Columbus.
The Ohio Department of Commerce has issued provisional licenses for two categories. There were 12 licenses awarded for small growers and, initially, 12 licenses for large grows. Pharmacann’s license is now the 13th given out for large growers. Large-scale provisional licenses permit grow operations to utilize up to 25,000 square feet. The medicinal cannabis program is currently set to start on Sept. 8 of this year.
Recently the commerce department admitted that a scoring error Pharmcann’s application led to the denial of their license.
Pharmacann is not the only cannabis business that has been critical of the licensing process. Ohio Releaf has filed a lawsuit against the state and has accused regulators of not scoring applications fairly. Ohio Releaf is seeking an injunction to stop all companies with provisional licenses from beginning operations until their application score is reviewed.
Some are concerned that the Ohio Releaf lawsuit could delay the expected Sept. 8 rollout of the medicinal cannabis program.
“If there’s sort of pause in it it really puts September 8th at risk,” said Thomas Rosenberger with the National Cannabis Industry Association of Ohio. “Even if you have just a few weeks or a month delay in that you very well might not see any of the licensees on September 8th and we could have a delay of months to years depending on how all this litigation goes on.”
It is not only businesses that are concerned about the delays. Patients may also be negatively impacted if sales do begin on Sept. 8.
“If the program is delayed that the patient care will be delayed and if patient care is delayed, their quality of life will be delayed,” said Ian Schwartz, who wants to use medical marijuana to treat his chronic pain from injuries he sustained in the military. “I’m absolutely anxious seeing the events here today unfold because if the program is delayed I know a lot of people who are prospective patients who will potentially be hurt by it.”bis,
