By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The medical marijuana dispensary in Bowling Green is expected to open for business in the next two weeks.
The dispensary, called Soothe, is located in the former Glass City Credit Union Building at 1155 N. Main St. It is the only medical marijuana site in the three-county region of Wood, Hancock and Henry counties.
The medical marijuana provision in Ohio was signed into law three years ago by then Gov. John Kasich in 2016. The opening of the dispensary has been delayed while the state figured out its requirements and inspection process.
The Bowling Green site went through its final inspection earlier this month so the location could be granted its certificate of operation, said owner Mark Jacobs.
“We’re in pretty good shape at this point,” said Jacobs, an attorney from Toledo. He expects an opening day sometime between Aug. 1 to Aug. 9.
“The whole point is, we have patients who need this medication,” Jacobs said.
There are currently 21 medical conditions that qualify for use of medical marijuana. Jacobs said he is unsure how many patients live in the Wood County area.
“We’ve had a number of inquiries,” from people in need of medical marijuana who are wondering when the Bowling Green location will be open. “We’ve been wondering the same thing,” he said.
The medical marijuana dispensary in Toledo has seen “a fairly brisk business,” which leads Jacobs to believe the same will be seen here in Bowling Green.
And if the other 36 states that already allow medical marijuana are any indication, there will be enough demand to make the local dispensary worthwhile.
“We’ll see what the demand is,” Jacobs said. “I don’t know why Ohio would be any different.”
Though the process has taken longer than expected, Jacobs said Bowling Green officials and Wood County building inspection staff have been helpful.
“We’ve had a good reception,” he said.
Wood County Chief Building Inspector Mike Rudey said earlier this year that the plans for the medical marijuana dispensary in Bowling Green include controlled entries into the building and a fenced-in area in the back where deliveries will be made. The marijuana product will be stored in the old bank safe in the building, Rudey said.
The Soothe location will have seven to nine employees who are undergoing training for the business, Jacobs said. The hours of operation will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, and 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
More information can be found at the website soothebg.com.
“I’m happy and proud with what we did,” in setting up the medical marijuana dispensary, Jacobs said.
Last year, the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy awarded 56 medical marijuana provisional dispensary licenses from a total of 376 applications.
The state had been divided into four quadrants for medical marijuana sales – with Northwest Ohio to have 10 dispensaries. The region was broken into districts, with Wood, Hancock and Henry counties being combined into one district to be allowed one dispensary. No applicants filed for locations in Hancock or Henry counties.
So that left Wood County to host a dispensary. The North Main Street location beat out the other applicants, one on Napoleon Road in Bowling Green and the other on Woodville Road in Northwood.
The law requires 500 feet between any marijuana business and a school, church, public library or public playground.
All the applicants were required to show the sites had proper commercial zoning, and that the community had not enacted a moratorium on the sale of medical marijuana.
“When it comes to dispensaries and the way they interact with areas, it’s really up to the local areas. In the end, it’s down to the local town, township or city,” Grant Miller, of the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, said earlier this year. “We are judging them on the merits we required.”
In 2016, Bowling Green City Council considered a moratorium on medical marijuana, but decided against taking such action. The city attorney and city planning director suggested that council declare a moratorium until more definite rules came out from the state. Council was split, but decided to not declare a moratorium on a dispensary.
Doctors must register with the state, which will require completing some type of continuing education about cannabis, before being able to recommend marijuana to patients with whom they have bona fide relationships. A physician is not permitted to recommend medical marijuana use until the physician has obtained a certificate from the State Medical Board of Ohio.
Certified physicians may recommend medical marijuana only for the treatment of a qualifying medical condition. Under Ohio law, all of the following are qualifying medical conditions: AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or another seizure disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable, Parkinson’s disease, positive status for HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, spinal cord disease or injury, Tourette’s syndrome, traumatic brain injury, and ulcerative colitis.
Individuals can petition the state medical board to add conditions.
All medical marijuana patients and their caregivers are required to register with the State Board of Pharmacy. Patients can apply on the soothebg.com website.
The following forms of medical marijuana will be permitted: oils, tinctures, plant material, edibles and patches. The law prohibits the use of medical marijuana by smoking or combustion, but does allow for vaporization (vaping).
