Short Answer: There are several ways you can find an Ohio doctor certified to recommend medical marijuana near you. You can ask people you know for recommendations, search for doctors in online directories or you can use our services to be connected with a medical marijuana doctor near you without delay.
Where to Find a Medical Marijuana Doctor Near Me
In order to use medical marijuana legally in the state of Ohio, you need an Ohio medical marijuana card. And, in order to get that, you need a doctor to provide you with a recommendation to use medical marijuana legally and enter you into the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program’s Patient Registry.
If your current doctor is not willing or able to do so, you’ll need to find another doctor who is. These are two different criteria: willing and able. Because, any doctor may be willing to recommend medical marijuana to a patient, but not every doctor is able to do so.
Physician Qualifications to Recommend Medical Marijuana
In order to recommend medical marijuana to patients, a doctor must be certified to recommend medical marijuana by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy. A physician with these qualifications is known as having CTR, or certified-to-recommend, status. Only CTR physicians can recommend medical marijuana to patients.
To obtain CTR status, a physician must:
- Be an unrestricted and active doctor of medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery licensed by the State Medical Board
- Have access to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s drug database and not be under any current access prohibitions
- Hold an active Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) registration
- Provide proof of completion of a state-approved two-hour medical marijuana CME (Continuing Medical Education) course
Other qualifications exist as well ensuring the physician is not under any licensure restrictions and not a part-owner of a dispensary or cultivation business, among other similar criteria. It is not enough, however, that a physician meets all these requirements to recommend medical marijuana to patients; the physician must also register with the State Medical Board as a CTR doctor.
Finding an MMJ doctor near me who meets all of these requirements can be a challenge… if you don’t know where to look.
Online Searches and Reviews
Certainly one of the easiest ways to find medical marijuana doctors near me in Ohio is to do a Google search and read some reviews of the Ohio MMJ doctors who appear in your search results. There is never any guarantee, however, of the reliability of the information you gather these ways. Doctors may come up who don’t have an active CTR status or who charge more than you’re willing to pay, etc. Or, reviews may be outdated or biased toward doctors who have paid to promote themselves on a particular online directory.
Read also: How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card Online in Ohio.
State Medical Board of Ohio
The State Medical Board of Ohio maintains a roster of active CTR doctors and a CTR Search Map that allows you to search for CTR medical marijuana doctors near me in Ohio. Be aware, if you use this roster and/or map, however, that the Board only attests that doctors appearing there have CTR status; it does not attest to any other factors, such as of patient-satisfaction or specialized expertise. Doctors listed are not vetted for any pertinent qualities of service or performance other than CTR status.
What’s more, the map and list are not comprehensive. Only doctors who request to be included on the map can be found on it. This means there may be CTR doctors who are nearer, more affordable or otherwise more suitable for you who don’t appear in either one.
By comparison, here at MMJCard4Less, we’ve personally selected all the doctors on our team for their quality, experience, and expertise in the therapeutic benefits and uses of medical marijuana. Our doctors have more than CTR status–they also have our seal of approval. We put our reputation behind it.
Telehealth Closes the Distance Gap
You don’t have to worry about finding an MMJ doctor nearby when you can meet with one without ever having to leave your home. Thanks to telehealth technology and recent legislation making it legal to use that technology for medical marijuana evaluations in Ohio, you can have your required medical marijuana doctor’s evaluation from the comfort of your own home.
This means you’re not restricted by travel distance or other related factors (like money and time) when searching for an MMJ doctor near me. You can just use our telehealth services at your convenience from home or wherever it’s convenient. You only need:
- A high-speed internet connection
- A device for getting on the internet
- Proper ID (valid Ohio driver’s license, any state’s official state ID or a US passport)
How Much Does a Marijuana Card Cost Near Me?
When you pay for your appointment with an MMJ Dr near me, you have to pay out of pocket, because health insurance won’t cover it. That’s why you’ll want to shop around for the most affordable medical marijuana doctor appointment possible.
Generally, telehealth appointments will be cheaper than in-person appointments at a doctor’s physical office because of the obvious differences in overhead costs.
At MMJCard4Lesss, we only charge $99 for a consultation with one of our CTR physicians, whether it’s for an initial visit or a renewal visit. In addition to the telehealth meeting with a certified Ohio medical marijuana doctor, that fee also covers the doctor enrolling you in the Ohio Medical Marijuana Patient Registry and application assistance and support from our trusted, expert team.
We also offer a discounted fee of $89 for applicants with proof of disability or a valid military or veteran ID. The discount is available to seniors over 65 years of age as well.
Compare our fee to other CTR medical marijuana doctors in Ohio, who charge between $150 and $250 for first-time visits and between $100 and $200 for renewal visits.
There are also a couple of considerations to keep in mind when calculating your costs for a medical marijuana card in Ohio.
Firstly, in addition to the fee you’ll pay for a medical marijuana doctor’s visit and recommendation, you must also pay a state fee for your medical marijuana card. This fee is $50 for most applicants, though a $25 reduced fee is available for qualified veterans, seniors and indigent individuals.
Secondly, an Ohio medical marijuana card is only good for a period of one year. Within sixty days prior to your card’s expiration each year, you’ll need to renew it again, which means having another doctor’s appointment.
For these reasons, the more you can save on your medical marijuana doctor’s fee, the better.
Read also: How Much Medical Marijuana Costs in the United States by State.
The Best MMJ Doctors for the Best Price
You won’t find a medical marijuana doctor nearer to you than this. Create an account with us at MMJCard4Less.com to schedule a telehealth call with an Ohio licensed and CTR doctor right from home.