A business in the county seat of Jackson County, Ohio is now able to sell medical marijuana when it becomes legal this fall.
Buckeye Botanicals, LLC in Jackson was one of 56 locations across the state to receive a provisional dispensary license. This means that business will be allowed to sell medical marijuana to qualified and registered patients who have received recommendations from a state-approved list of doctors.
In total, there were 376 applications for the medical marijuana dispensaries. The approved locations cover 28 geographic districts.
The Board of Pharmacy has been verifying that the locations are at least 500 feet from schools and churches.
Tracy Schneider, a resident of Jackson, said her family lives about two miles from Buckeye Botanicals, LLC. She has mixed feelings about it.
“Cancer patients that benefit from what they are trying to do (is fine), but the ones who are just out to get a high, that hurts just like anything else, just like with the pain pills and all that it hurts the people who need it,” Schneider said.
Buckeye Botanicals President Eric Ryant said safeguards will be in place to prevent abuse.
“They first must show their prescription, make sure have valid ID,” Ryant said. “Once we see that everything is validated and legit, we bring them into the store.”
Ryant said experts will be on hand to help patients find the right kind of marijuana for their medical condition.
“This will be very structured, just like a pharmacy,” he said. “You walk in, and we’ll have experienced educated people to help.”
Dispensaries like Buckeye Botanical, LLC have six months to meet state operation requirements to sell medical marijuana. Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Law says the program must begin Sept. 8.
“People will buy it. It’s been going on around here for I don’t know how long,” Steve Ratliff of Gallipolis said. “Somebody’s gonna buy it and they are gonna sell it.”
