While prices for medical cannabis in Ohio have dropped since sales began in January 2019 — the average retail cost for flower has decreased nearly 40% since then, according to state data — the cost for products and surrounding stigmas for using it maybe some of the key factors hindering participation in the program, according to a recent report from The Ohio State University's Drug Enforcement and Policy Center (DEPC).
However, that report includes inaccurate data on actual costs in Ohio, which researchers say they are working to correct.
According to the report, 61.6% of respondents indicate they are either "extremely" or "somewhat dissatisfied" with Ohio's Medical Marijuana Control Program (OMMCP), a decrease from the 67% who reported the same feelings in 2019. Just 51.5% of respondents with a qualifying condition say they currently use cannabis.
Top reasons for this low participation are cost and fear of losing employment, according to DEPC, which notes that 84% of respondents say they prefer purchasing cannabis from a legal dispensary "if cannabis was made fully legal and the product was similarly priced to the unregulated market."
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