How much you can buy and keep
Ohio patients and caregivers can buy up to 2.5 oz of plant material and 15,000 mg of total THC in other products per day. Patients, but not caregivers, may buy up to four days' worth in one transaction. That daily limit replaced the old "days' supply" unit system, according to the DCC's product page.
Possession is capped at a 90-day supply: 14.06 lb of plant material and 1,350 g of total THC in other products. Each 90-day fill period starts from the date your active recommendation was issued. The DCC FAQ also lists a daily limit of 6 units of seeds, clones and live plants.
Forms you can buy
The DCC authorizes oral products (capsules, pills, tablets, drops, oils, edibles, cannabis beverages), topicals (salves, ointments, lotions, sprays), transdermal patches, inhalers, sublingual and oromucosal products (lozenges, oral pouches, strips, sprays, tinctures), rectal suppositories, and seeds, live plants, clones, plant material and extracts.
Since SB 56, THC is capped at 35% for plant material and 70% for extracts under ORC 3796.06(E). The law lets the DCC raise the extract cap by rule.
Smoking and vaping
- Smoking: ORC 3796.06(C)(1) says it plainly: "The smoking or combustion of medical marijuana is prohibited."
- Vaping: allowed only on private property used mainly for residential or agricultural purposes.
- Under 18: vaporization is not an authorized method for registered patients under 18.
Adult-use rules differ here, which confuses many people. The side-by-side table on our medical vs. adult-use page shows both, and the guide to smoking rules for Ohio patients covers the gray spots.
Packaging and storage
Under ORC 3796.06(H), patients and caregivers must keep edibles in their original packaging when not in use. Taking gummies out and putting them in a pill organizer is the kind of habit this rule targets.
Where you cannot use it
No one may consume adult-use or homegrown marijuana in a public place, and medical marijuana may be vaporized only on private residential or agricultural property. Smoking or vaping marijuana is also banned in:
- public places and workplaces
- child care homes
- certain halfway houses
- rentals whose lease forbids it
ORC 3796.24(H)(5) adds that no public place may allow medical marijuana to be smoked, combusted or vaporized.
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 →Driving
A registration does not permit driving under the influence. The DCC FAQ answers "Can I drive after using cannabis?" with one word: "No." Your status as a patient or caregiver is not, by itself, grounds for a field sobriety test or license suspension under ORC 3796.24(E). An officer needs independent reasonable suspicion of impairment or a prohibited marijuana concentration.
Travel
The DCC says cannabis bought in another state cannot be brought into Ohio. ORC 3796.16 tells the DCC to try to negotiate reciprocity agreements with states that have comparable rules and recognize Ohio cards, but we found no official source showing any agreement in effect. Out-of-state cards should be treated as not valid here, and taking Ohio product to another state is a question for that state's law.
Work, housing and family
There is no employment protection. Employers can refuse to hire, fire or discipline for marijuana use, medical included. Our Ohio employment page covers ORC 3796.28 in detail.
Other protections in ORC 3796.24 are real but narrow. Lawful medical use cannot be the sole or primary basis for a child abuse or neglect finding or a custody decision (unless clear and convincing evidence shows a child is unsafe), for denying medical care or a transplant-list spot, or for asset forfeiture. Patient or caregiver status alone cannot be grounds for rejecting a tenant, though a landlord may ban smoking, vaping and home grow in the lease.
When your registration ends
If your card expires, you have 7 calendar days to dispose of any medical cannabis. Caregivers face the same rule. The renewal guide shows how to avoid the gap, and the caregiver page covers what caregivers may and may not do.
Before your next dispensary trip
Check that both your registration and recommendation are active, bring your ID, and keep purchases sealed in their packaging until you are home. If you want to know what changed this year, our SB 56 summary lists it.
Questions people ask
Can I use medical marijuana in my car if I'm parked?
Ohio bans marijuana use in public places, and vaping medical marijuana is allowed only on private property used mainly for residential or agricultural purposes. A car does not fit that description, and the DCC FAQ says you cannot drive after using cannabis.
Can a landlord refuse to rent to me because I'm a patient?
Patient or caregiver status alone cannot be the basis for rejecting a tenant under ORC 3796.24. A landlord can still ban smoking, vaping and home cultivation in the lease.
Can I bring cannabis I bought in another state back to Ohio?
No. The DCC FAQ says cannabis purchased in another state cannot be brought into Ohio.
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.