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The state of Ohio legalized the medical use of cannabis in 2016, making it the 25th state in the country to do so. As of March 2024, the state had registered 167,153 patients who were legally allowed to use medical cannabis.
Ohio’s medical cannabis program covers 26 eligible conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) and chronic and intractable or severe pain, among others. The program permits cannabis to be sold as edibles, tinctures, oils, plant material and patches in 124 dispensaries across Ohio.
Now, a recently conducted survey has discovered that the majority of medical marijuana patients have observed a reduction in their use of prescription painkillers. Almost 3,500 people took part in the survey, with some being recruited through a newsletter distributed to patients and caregivers at Ohio Medical Marijuana Control program and others though Ohio State University’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center network.
The survey focused on two issues: whether participants had reduced their use of other illicit substances after using cannabis and whether cannabis had decreased the need for prescription drugs.
The survey directed that all respondents record the extent to which they agreed with two statements reflecting those issues, with 77.5% agreeing that using cannabis had decreased their need for prescription medications. Another 26.7% agreed that cannabis use had decreased their need to use other illicit substances. The survey’s findings are consistent with those of other studies.
In their report, the researchers stated that their study had some limitations. Despite this, they still hold the opinion that cannabis-related research may become easier to carry out if cannabis is rescheduled as has been recommended by the U.S. Justice Department.
The researchers also recognized that the use of cannabis could have negative impacts on an individual’s health, noting that more studies were required to determine the drug’s safety and effectiveness compared to other therapies. This, they argued, could be moved along with marijuana’s rescheduling to Schedule 3 from 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, as recommended by the U.S. Health and Human Services department (HHS).
In its letter to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Health and Human Services department states that cannabis has an accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and low potential for abuse as compared to other drugs under Schedule 1 or 2.
Interested individuals can access a preprint of the study report here. It should be noted that at the time of publishing, the study hadn’t been peer reviewed.
It is also worth noting that Ohio recently legalized adult-use marijuana via a ballot initiative, voter approved in 2023. As the market takes off, it could create opportunities for local companies offering services similar to those that enterprises such as Innovative Industrial Properties Inc. (NYSE: IIPR) offer in the markets in which they operate.
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