Terrasana Labs became the first medical marijuana dispensary in the city on Thursday, followed by Pure Ohio Wellness.
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Releaf Health Springfield, a medical marijuana recommendation clinic, began seeing patients in mid-April. Pure Ohio Wellness’s cultivation facility in Mad River Twp. began operating in mid-2018.
Total, the medical marijuana industry in Clark County currently has nearly 120 employees.
Joe Catanzaro, a Mad River Twp. Trustee, described Pure Ohio’s cultivation facility and new dispensary as, “top notch.”
“I’m very impressed to see what he’s been able to do for Mad River and now on Main Street,” Catanzaro said. “He said he was going to come in and bring some jobs and hire locally and that’s exactly what he’s done.”
Catanzaro, who is also a restaurant owner, said he sees customers of all ages interested in the medical marijuana operations in the county.
“I see no harm in it. He’s done a great job and that’s the biggest thing,” Catanzaro said. “He’s brought in these jobs and it looks like he’s going to be bringing in jobs in the future. We are pleased to have him in the township.”
City of Springfield officials declined to comment on two dispensaries in Springfield. City officials said medical marijuana was, “more of a state issue.”
Terrasana Labs and Pure Ohio Wellness are among 23 authorized medical marijuana dispensaries in Ohio, according to the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program’s website.
Ohio became the 25th state to legalize medical marijuana in 2016 after it was signed into law by then Gov. John Kasich.
The law authorized medical marijuana use in the form of edibles, oils, patches and vaporizing by patients with 21 conditions, including cancer or chronic pain. Smoking and home-growing medical marijuana is forbidden by the law. Patients and their caregivers are allowed to possess up to a 90-day supply.
Slowed by lawsuits, construction delays and other problems, the state’s first few dispensaries didn’t open until mid-January. Most were in the northeast corner of the state, three or more hours away from the Springfield area.
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As of June of this year, 48,248 patients with recommendations were registered with the state, but just 25,964 had made a purchase. Those who had spent $15.5 million on 1,853 pounds of plant material and 32,528 units of manufactured product through 114,026 sales, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce.
Terrasana has four dispensaries across the state- Columbus, Cleveland, Fremont and now Springfield at 183 Raydo Cir. Their Springfield location has 15 employees.
“It’s nice to have all of our locations up and running,” said co-owner Todd Yaross.
Yaross said Terrasana wanted to bring a dispensary to the Springfield area due to the opioid crisis impact on the area.
“Ohio has been hit hard by the opioiod crisis and this area has been no expectation,” Yaross said.
Medical conditions
Patients visiting Terrasana will meet with patient consultants to discuss their medical conditions and the relief they are seeking.
Ohio has 21 medical conditions that qualify patients to receive medical marijuana. They are AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or another seizure disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, Hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable, Parkinson’s disease, positive status for HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, spinal cord disease or injury, Tourette’s syndrome, traumatic brain injury and ulcerative coltitis.
In data from the Ohio Board of Pharmacy released in May, 25,834 patients who were seeking marijuana were doing so for pain described as chronic and severe or intractable.
Post-traumatic stress disorder was the second-highest condition (6,193), followed by fibromyalgia (4,515) and cancer (2,690).
Terrasana co-owner, Dr. Bill Kedia said medication available at the dispensary is customized for each individuals condition.
“I and our pharmacist have really put together a curriculum for our patient consultants so they understand each condition and how to treat it appropriately with what tools are available to us,” Kedia said.
Pure Wellness, located at 1711 W. Main St., will also have a pharmacist on staff. The dispensary welcomed its first group of patients Friday morning.
“It’s been a long path but we are excited to open,” said co-owner Larry Pegram. “We are so relieved because we know that we can now give patients some relief in the area.”
Pure Ohio Wellness stocks most of its products from its cultivation facility at 4020 Dayton-Springfield Rd. in Mad River Twp.
“The majority of Pure Ohio Wellness products are products that we grow and manufacture. We are really proud of our product. We’re proud that people from this area are the ones that have grown it,” Pegram said.
Pure Ohio Wellness offers 15 different strains of flower, which is what most people view as “traditional marijuana,” Pegram said, and 12 different types of infused products.
“People growing the product have taken great care of it because they know growing the product, it might be their mother, their sister or their friend that’s using it,” Pegram said.
In order to receive medical marijuana patients will be buzzed into the facility through an intercom system. In the lobby, patients will fill out paperwork, check in with staff and show their medical marijuana card.
Releaf Health Clinic, located at 3150 El Camino Dr. in Springfield, is a medical marijuana recommendation clinic. Those looking to secure a medical marijuana card, have to first visit a clinic like Releaf.
Nolan Vannucci, operations manager for Releaf Health, said while the process for receiving a prescription may seem complicated, it really isn’t.
Vannucci said Releaf Health in Springfield has issued roughly 100 recommendations for medical marijuana since they opened in late April.
“The first step in the general process is that you must have a qualifying condition,” Vannucci said.
Patients must bring in medical records from their doctor to show they have been treated for and diagnosed with one of the 21 qualifying conditions. After that, patients can book an appointment to see a doctor at the clinic, just like you would any other doctor, Vannucci said.
Medical marijuana is not covered by insurance.
“The patients sits down and discusses their condition(s) and how they currently treat the symptoms associated with it, and how medical marijuana fits into the equation,” Vannucci said.
Patients then receive two emails from the state of Ohio, pay a fee of $50 and receive their medical marijuana card electronically. From there, a dispensary takes over.
“It’s a plant”
Vannucci, Yaross and Pegram have all spoken about a common concern their medical marijuana businesses experience — misunderstanding.
“The biggest drawback is just overall education,” Vannucci said. “We try and simplify it, but it’s a new process and this medicine is something that has historically been labeled as a drug, which it isn’t, it’s a plant.”
Pegram said he hopes patients will give medical marijuana a try despite previous misconceptions about it.
“People expect to be coming to some sketchy place. That’s not the case. This is a true medical facility; this is basically a pharmacy,” Pegram said.
To help ease patient minds about medical marijuana, Terrasana and Pure Ohio have made security a top priority.
Pure Ohio is outfitted with 97-cameras throughout the inside and outside of the facility as well as two secured, buzz-in only doors. Shipments of products are delivered through a fenced area, with only one set of keys — Pegram’s.
Terrasana is also equipped with cameras throughout the dispensary, as well as two armed security guards stationed at the front door.
Pegram said he hopes people who truly need medical marijuana aren’t scared away by misconceptions.
“I think people will be pleasantly surprised at what they see and the amount of information we can provide them with,” Pegram said. “I think we’ll be a nice addition to the Springfield community.”
Facts & Figures:
Cultvators:
• 17 Level 1 licenses
• 9 Provisional licensees have received Certificates of Operation
• 13 Level 11 provisional licenses
• 9 Provisional licensees have received Certificates of Operation
Dispensaries:
• 56 Provisional license
• 23 Provisional licensees have receives a Certificate of Operations
Patients and Caregivers (as of June, 2019):
• 45,663 Recommendations
• 48,248 Registered patients with recommendations
• 25,964 Unique patients who have purchased medical marijuana (as reported to Ohio Automatic Rx Reporting System by licensed dispensaries)
• 3,083 Patients with Veteran Status
• 1,752 Patients with Indigent Status
• 238 Patients with a Terminal Diagonsis
• 3,417 Registered Caregivers
Physicians:
• 527 Certificates to Recommend
Processors:
• 40 Provisional lincenses
• 7 Provisional licensees have received Certificates of Operation
Sales Figures (as of July 21, 2019):
• 1,853 lbs. of plant material
• 32,528 units of manufactured product
• $15.5 million in product sales
• 114,026 total receipts
Source: Ohio Medical Marjiuana Control Program, as of July 1, 2019, unless otherwise noted
Medical Marijuana in Clark County:
Pure Ohio Wellness:
• Medical marijuana dispensary located at 1711 W. Main St. in Springfield
• Medical marijuana cultivation facility located at 4020 Dayton-Springfield Rd. in Mad River Twp.
Releaf Health Clinic:
• Medical marijuana recommendation clinic located at 3150 El Camino Dr. in Springfield
Terrasana:
• Medical marijuana dispensary located at 183 Raydo Circle in Springfield
Medical marijuana patients by condition, as of May 31, 2019*:
1. Pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable: 25,834
2. Post-Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD): 6,193
3. Fibromyaglia: 4,515
4. Cancer: 2,690
5. Spinal Cord disease or injury: 2,061
6. Epilepsy or another seizure disorder: 1,326
7. Multiple Sclerosis (MS): 943
8. Crohn’s disease: 903
9. Traumatic brain injury: 755
10. Hepatitis C: 807
11. Glaucoma: 671
12. Inflammatory bowel disease: 529
13. Ulcerative colitis: 455
14. Parkinson’s disease: 387
15. Positive status for HIV: 269
16. Tourette’s syndrome: 160
17. Alzheimer’s disease: 102
18. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE): 75
19. AIDS: 52
20. Sickle Cell Anemia: 52
21. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): 44
*Some patients are registered with multiple conditions
Source: Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program
CONTINUING COVERAGE
The Springfield News-Sun has followed the progress of medical marijuana in the state of Ohio since it was first placed on the ballot in 2015. Medical marijuana became legal in Ohio in June of 2016.
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