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Ohio officials release proposed rules for medical marijuana growers

Posted at 2:12 PM, Nov 01, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-01 14:12:35-04

CINCINNATI -- Ohio officials plan to issue 18 licenses to grow medical marijuana in the state at a cost of $200,000 each for the cultivators.

Those licenses would be split among 12 large growers and six smaller growers, according to proposed rulesreleased by the Ohio Department of Commerce Tuesday.

Officials plan to have the rules finalized by next May in order to have the medical marijuana program operating by September 2018.

The proposed rules would require growers to be prepared to cultivate marijuana within nine months of receiving a provisional license. Growers will also have to submit to testing by a licensed laboratory and undergo state inspections.

Employees of medical marijuana cultivators would be required to receive state-issued medical marijuana employee ID cards.

The rules are still undergoing review and will go from the Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee to the Common Sense Initiative and the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review.

Residents will have several opportunities to comment. More information about public comment and the full draft rules will be posted on the state's medical marijuana website.