One video appointment with an Ohio-licensed MD or DO. If your condition qualifies, you'll leave with a recommendation and a clear path to your state registration.
Ohio splits the process into a medical decision and an administrative one. Here's the order it happens in.
Choose a slot that fits your day. The visit happens over secure video with an MD or DO who holds an active Certificate to Recommend.
Your physician reviews your diagnosis and records. If Ohio's criteria are met, they enter a recommendation into the state system.
You'll get an email to complete your patient profile with the Division of Cannabis Control — there's no state fee. Your card follows.
Ohio allows both. For many people, the medical route still makes more sense — this is where the differences show up.
| Registered patient | Adult-use buyer | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 (younger with a caregiver) | 21 |
| 10% state excise tax | Not charged | Charged on every purchase |
| Physician involvement | Required, via recommendation | None |
| Registration | Ohio Patient & Caregiver Registry | Valid ID only |
| Caregiver can purchase for you | Yes, once registered | No |
Standard state and local sales tax applies to both. Details can change — confirm with the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control.
A sample of the diagnoses on Ohio's list. Your physician confirms whether yours applies.
Anxiety, depression, and insomnia are not qualifying conditions by themselves in Ohio. If they come alongside a condition that is listed, bring it up during your visit.
Each year from November 1 to December 31, the State Medical Board accepts petitions to add new conditions to the list.
I'd put this off for two years thinking it meant a day off work and a clinic across town. It was a thirty-minute call from my kitchen table.Andre W., North Linden
On camera. Ohio's telemedicine rules let a physician holding a Certificate to Recommend complete the evaluation over secure video, so there's no office visit involved.
No. Ohio's program is limited to residents, and you'll need an Ohio driver's license or state ID number when you set up your registry profile.
No. Ohio cut the $50 patient fee to a temporary one cent in March 2024, then eliminated it entirely that June. Your physician charges separately for the evaluation itself.
Twelve months after it's issued. To renew, you'll need a fresh recommendation from a certified physician before the expiration date.
Not in Ohio. Only MDs and DOs with an active Certificate to Recommend from the State Medical Board can issue one.
Minors can qualify, but a parent or legal guardian must register as their caregiver and be involved throughout the process.
No recommendation is entered and nothing is sent to the state. Your physician can explain why and what, if anything, might change that in the future.
A straight run south down Cleveland Avenue from North Linden, just past the I-670 interchange. They serve registered medical patients as well as adult-use customers.
Cleveland Avenue is home to CMAX, central Ohio's first rapid bus line — useful if you'd rather not drive to a dispensary once your card is active.
North Linden sits north of Hudson Street on the city's northeast side, with Cleveland Avenue — once a plank road and later one of Ohio's early paved highways — as its main corridor. The area began as Linden Heights Village in 1908 and joined Columbus in 1921. Residents here use the same statewide certification process as every other Ohioan.
Under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3796, a recommendation can only come from an MD or DO with an active Certificate to Recommend. The patient then registers through the Division of Cannabis Control, confirming Ohio residency with a state-issued ID.
Adult-use sales opened to anyone 21 and older, but the medical registry remains the only legal option for 18- to 20-year-olds and removes the 10% excise tax from every purchase. Current rules are published by the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control.
Appointments are available throughout the week.