Regulators have announced that Ohio medical marijuana patients or caregivers would soon be required to pay only one penny in order to renew their registrations. In New Jersey, the cost to obtain a medical cannabis card is being eliminated.
Ohio is preparing to implement the adult-use legalization laws approved by voters. The Division of Cannabis Control (DCC), which oversees the implementation of the law, has announced that the annual fee ($50 for patients, and $25 for caregivers), will be reduced to just one cent as of March 4. The plan is to remove the fee once regulators have updated vendor software.
The DCC acknowledged that the one-cent charge was not ideal, but it felt it necessary and appropriate to offer this financial relief to patients and caregivers immediately, while also working towards a complete fee elimination once the registry updates can be completed.
The DCC announced an initial set of rules earlier this month for adult-use legalization. The current plan calls for adult-use sales to start in September. However, the governor and legislators have been pushing for legislation that would allow existing medical cannabis dispensaries sell to adult consumers sooner.
A top Ohio Democratic Senator recently stated that the GOP House leadership is doing “a disservice” to public by not advancing legislation to accelerate marijuana sales.
In December, the Senate passed a bill that addressed the issue. It would allow existing medical cannabis dispensaries to serve both patients and adult customers within 90 days after enactment. Other changes were also made to the initiated law. The House has not taken up the bill, but it has been considering an alternate package.
The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission announced Tuesday that starting March 1, medical marijuana cards will not require patients or caregivers to pay a fee of $10.
The cards can be downloaded digitally and saved on phones, or printed out.
In a press statement, Jeff Brown, Executive Director of the NJ-CRC , said that he was “excited” to offer digital medicinal cannabis cards for free to New Jersey patients. Our goal is to make medical cannabis more accessible and convenient for patients. We make it easier for patients to get the care they require by offering digital options.
Brown recently announced that in the state, medical and recreational marijuana has exceeded $2 billion over the past year. He also encouraged legislators to explore the option of allowing medical cannabis patients to grow their own cannabis at home.
He also predicted that , the state would “reach and exceed” a $1 Billion annual cannabis sales milestone this year.
The governor of New Jersey announced earlier this month that over 100 cannabis shops for medical and adult use are now open throughout the state.
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The article Ohio Lowers Medical Marijuana Patients Fee to 1C/ as New Jersey Offers FREE Digital Cannabis Cards first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
