Columbus at a glance
Columbus is the state capital and the seat of Franklin County, and the city limits stretch into Delaware and Fairfield counties too. None of that changes your card. The Ohio medical marijuana program is statewide, run by the Division of Cannabis Control in the Ohio Department of Commerce, and the rules are identical whether your address says Franklin, Delaware or Fairfield.
What Columbus does have is a front-row seat. The General Assembly that passed Senate Bill 56 meets at the Statehouse downtown, and the changes it made took effect on March 20, 2026.
What changed, in the order it happened
- February 29, 2024: telehealth became an allowed way to set up the physician relationship (OAC 4731-32-03).
- March 4, 2024: the patient fee dropped from $50 to $0.01, and the caregiver fee from $25 to $0.01. Today the DCC lists no activation or renewal cost at all.
- August 6, 2024: adult-use sales began. Anyone 21 or older can now buy at a dual-use dispensary.
- March 20, 2026: SB 56 took effect, setting THC caps of 35% for plant material and 70% for extracts, requiring edibles to stay in original packaging, and limiting intoxicating hemp to licensed dispensaries.
For a patient, the net result is a cheaper card with tighter product rules. Our SB 56 explainer separates what we could verify from what we could not.
Finding a physician from Columbus
Only an MD or DO with a Certificate to Recommend from the State Medical Board can recommend. The Board's CTR physician search lets you look up names. On October 14, 2026, there were 484 CTR physicians statewide.
You do not have to cross town for it. Ohio allows the first visit and each yearly renewal by telehealth, which helps if you work long hours or do not drive. Read how online evaluations work in Ohio before booking.
Need the recommendation part done?
In Ohio the physician starts your Registry file, so the visit comes first. Online evaluations are available for Ohio residents, and code DRWDY85872 takes 5% off. Registration itself is free.
Start my Ohio evaluation →Buying in Franklin County
Look up licensed stores on the DCC's official dispensary map. Every licensed location in Ohio is dual-use, so you will share the counter with adult-use shoppers. Tell staff you are a patient so the sale is handled as medical and the 10% adult-use excise is left off. Patients may buy up to 2.5 oz of plant material or 15,000 mg of THC per day, with up to four days' worth at once.
Remember the method rules. Medical marijuana may not be smoked anywhere in Ohio, and vaping is allowed only on private residential or agricultural property, not in a park, a parking garage or a downtown sidewalk.
If you split time between cities
Plenty of people live in one place and work in another. If you spend time west along I-70, the Springfield guide looks at the cost question, and the Dayton guide covers veteran status. The card itself works at any licensed dispensary in the state.
Your Columbus checklist
- Confirm your condition is one of Ohio's 26.
- Have your Ohio BMV license or ID ready, or two documents showing your Ohio street address.
- Book a CTR physician, in person or online.
- Activate in the Registry once the recommendation is entered.
The full sequence, with the documents spelled out, is on our Ohio application checklist.
Next on your checklist
Sources
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This page summarizes Ohio rules in plain language and is not medical or legal advice; the Division of Cannabis Control, the State Medical Board of Ohio and your recommending physician have the final word.