On Monday, the regulators were urged by the Ohioans to issue at least a few cultivator licenses to the residents only as an initial procedure so that they could start business around medical marijuana.
Currently, the Ohio Department of Commerce intends to give twelve large grow licenses and twelve small grow licenses throughout the state. But yet again, it depends on various criteria like company’s security measures, industry experience, and business plans.
It will require enough evidence that the company would be owned by Ohioans, headquartered in Ohio and it plans to employ in-state workers.
Kelly Mottola, who leads ‘Hydro Innovations’ in Hilliard, explained that out-of-state companies would naturally want to hire out-of-state workers.
“We’re the ones who fought for this,” she explained during a public meet about the cultivator licensing proposal, “allowing people from outside the state is not benefiting Ohio or Ohioans or our unemployment.”
Many came out and supported the residency requirement proposal during the final comment period over the issues related to cultivator rules. Some even criticized the highly-charged cultivator fees.
A panel of lawmakers is to meet in a few weeks’ time so as to review the rules regarding the cultivator licensing. They must come to a decision by 6th May.
Residency Requirements
Many states have had the condition of ‘residency requirements’ for recreational as well as medical marijuana programs. Colorado, for example, requires licensees to reside in the state for at least 2 years before they can apply for a license. Recently, the lawmakers reduced the requirement criteria to 1 year and permitted a much larger out-of-state investment.
On the other hand, Ohio as of now doesn’t have any such requirement for processors, dispensary owners or cultivators, but testing labs, however, are limited to state universities and colleges for the 1st year of the program.
Plans for various cultivation centers and dispensaries are bubbling up across Ohio. There are news doing rounds that Ohioans are partnering with few out-of-state companies. The out-of-state firms would bring with themselves the much-needed knowledge and capital, which is required to run a fruitful marijuana business.
Change in Cultivator Requirements
The stated medical marijuana law permits people suffering from one of the twenty-one medical conditions to purchase and use marijuana only if it is recommended by a doctor. The 3 state agencies were left to decide on other rules such as who would be allowed to grow marijuana and sell it and what quantity of the drug is a patient allowed to buy.
