Registering a Caregiver for Ohio’s MMJ Program

Patients are not the only ones who can be registered in the medical marijuana program in Ohio, caregivers can also get registered, too. The process is quite similar but the purpose of a caregiver and a patient vary quite differently from each other, something we’ll see later.

Ever since medical marijuana got legalized in Ohio, a lot of doors have opened for patients who believe that the drug can help them with their condition. But not all of these patients can administer the drug to themselves, hence, the need for caregivers. In this article, we’ll be talking about the work of caregivers and how they can get registered in Ohio. 

Who is a Caregiver?

The term might sound familiar but not all people understand the scope of a caregiver. To define it in this context, a caregiver is someone who can purchase, transport, bring, and administer medical marijuana to a registered medical marijuana patient. 

Not all people can become medical marijuana caregivers because most of the time, caregivers only cater to specific patients. These caregivers are designated by the patient for their specific needs. 

If you’re a nurse, parent, guardian, or significant other of the patient, then you can be designated as one and you can registered. In the state of Ohio, a patient can only have a maximum of two caregivers and a caregiver can only cater to two patients. 

A key thing to note is that the recommending physician of the patient can never become the caregiver of the patient. 

How to Register

It’s good news that the process of becoming a caregiver in the state is relatively easy. Yeah, there might be bottlenecks here and there but it won’t take you long before you can get that card. 

Here are the steps you need to take: 

• Identification of a Patient

A caregiver can only be registered if he or she has already identified a patient for which he or she will serve as a caregiver to. The patient can already be a registered one or can still be applying. 

The name and registration of the patient will be needed upon submission of the caregiver registration. 

• Registration Form

The individual applying for the job must also complete and submit the registration form to the physician. This physician must be the one which the patient already has a relationship with. 

The form includes the caregiver’s full name, residential address, telephone number, birthday, and email address. 

A government-issued identification number must also be submitted along with a passport, passport card, state-issued driver’s license, or other state-issued identification issued by the Ohio bureau of motor vehicles. 

• Pay the Fee

Just like the patients, caregivers must also pay an application fee to complete the application process. Without it, the application won’t be accepted. 

Rules on Medical Marijuana Caregivers

There are still rules to follow, especially that the caregiver is now dealing with a Schedule I drug. We’ll deal with several of them. 

First, the patient or caregiver are not allowed to grow or cultivate their own supply of medical marijuana at home. This violates the laws in Ohio. They must always get their weed from dispensaries that are recognized by the government. 

Second, patients or caregivers aren’t allowed to sell medical marijuana to anybody, that includes patients or caregivers registered in the program. Only dispensaries are allowed to do that and this is a clear violation of the law. 

Third, the caregiver can only administer marijuana in ways allowed by the state. All of which is allowed except for letting the patient smoke it. Edibles, creams, etc., are the only ones allowed by the law. 

Fourth, a caregiver must never allow a patient to drive under the influence of medical marijuana. This is highly dangerous and the caregiver should stop the patient from doing so. Driving under the influence can have its serious implications and can land the patient in jail. 

In the state, there are still lots of restrictions but these are the common ones which people tend to frequently forget. Just remember that even if medical marijuana is legal, there are still quite a lot of restrictions in Ohio. 

The legalization of medical weed in the state is still fairly new, with operations that only started last year. But luckily, there are a lot of sites about marijuana that help you out if ever you have questions. One of these is Veriheal which provides a lot of answers to FAQs – you can visit their site here: https://www.veriheal.com/ohio/.

Whether you’re a patient or caregiver, Ohio relatively has an easy process for registration. Just follow the simple states stated above and you’ll be good to go. Don’t forget about the rules because it can quite tricky. What are you waiting for? Go get registered with the state today.