Medical Marijuana Doctors Columbus
Medically reviewed by Cheryl-Lynn Bugailiskis, M.D., Ohio medical license 35.144103CTR and Certificate to Recommend LE-00039904. Last reviewed November 4, 2026.
If you have a qualifying medical condition and live in the Columbus area, Ohio law requires an exam by an Ohio-licensed physician who holds a Certificate to Recommend before you join the state’s medical marijuana program. Each step of joining Ohio’s program is laid out on our Ohio medical marijuana card page.
Ohio’s medical marijuana program, the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (OMMCP), lets patients with one of 26 qualifying conditions get a card through a recommendation from a CTR physician. Evaluations may be done by telehealth, and the state charges no registration fee. The primary cost to patients is the physician evaluation itself.
Cheryl-Lynn Bugailiskis, M.D. (Ohio medical license 35.144103CTR and Certificate to Recommend LE-00039904) is among the physicians who provide telehealth evaluations for Ohio patients with Dr. Green Relief.
Ohio CTR physicians can recommend medical cannabis for 26 conditions
House Bill 523 made medical marijuana legal in Ohio in 2016. Adult-use sales began on August 6, 2024, and the Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) oversees both.
To take part, you must be an Ohio resident with a qualifying condition and a recommendation from a physician who holds a Certificate to Recommend (CTR). Your physician enters you in the Patient and Caregiver Registry, and you activate the card online. The exam can be by telehealth.
A registration lasts one year, and once it expires a patient must dispose of all medical cannabis within seven days.
Ohio CTR physicians can recommend medical cannabis for 26 conditions
House Bill 523 made medical marijuana legal in Ohio in 2016. Adult-use sales began on August 6, 2024, and the Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) oversees both.
To take part, you must be an Ohio resident with a qualifying condition and a recommendation from a physician who holds a Certificate to Recommend (CTR). Your physician enters you in the Patient and Caregiver Registry, and you activate the card online. The exam can be by telehealth.
A registration lasts one year, and once it expires a patient must dispose of all medical cannabis within seven days.
What Columbus Patients Should Know
Columbus is home to the regulator: the Division of Cannabis Control’s mailing address is 77 S. High Street. Ohio CTR physicians recommend medical marijuana for Columbus area patients under Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Control Program.
To be eligible for a medical marijuana card in Columbus, you must be diagnosed with a qualifying condition. Eligible diagnoses include spinal cord disease or injury, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, Tourette’s syndrome, terminal illness, PTSD, HIV, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and chronic pain, which covers chronic migraines.
Patients in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and elsewhere in Ohio use one statewide registry. Franklin County has 32 DCC-licensed dispensaries, more than any other Ohio county. After the recommendation, the registry emails you a link to activate your card. Each recommending physician must complete two hours of medical marijuana CME every year. Patients 18 and older register with a photo ID, while a patient under 18 registers through a parent or legal representative who acts as caregiver.
BENEFITS
Upfront Pricing
Buy Up To 4 Days’ Limit At Once
Buy At 18 Instead Of 21
Ohio Medical
Marijuana Control Program
What can a Columbus patient buy? Patients may buy oils, tinctures, plant material, edibles and patches, plus any other form the DCC approves, and only from a licensed dispensary. Dr. Green Relief does not run an office in Columbus or in any other Ohio city. To get your Ohio Cannabis Card, you first need a recommendation from an Ohio CTR physician, and the Board lists them statewide, not just in Columbus. Protection under ORC 3796.22 starts once you are registered and buying from a licensed dispensary. You may then use and possess up to a 90-day supply, but a DCC rule lets you keep the full supply only at home: elsewhere the limit is 2.5 ounces of plant material and 15,000 mg of THC, except while you take a purchase home with the receipt. Ohio law also keeps registry data confidential.
AIDS / HIV
Cachexia
Chronic Pain
Cancer
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Tourette syndrome
Glaucoma
Epilepsy
Parkinson’s disease
Ohio
Marijuana Card Cost
Through March 3, 2024, Ohio charged patients $50 a year to register, and today it charges nothing to activate or renew. The main cost of an Ohio Medical Marijuana Card is the physician visit.
Ohio Medical
Marijuana Laws
Your Ohio Medical Marijuana Card lets you buy, possess and use medical marijuana within the limits of ORC 3796.22, up to a 90-day supply. Carry your registry ID whenever you have medical marijuana with you, as Ohio rules require of patients.
Columbus
Marijuana Dispensaries
With an active card you can buy at any of the 32 dispensaries the DCC lists in Franklin County, the most of any Ohio county, 25 with a Columbus address. The DCC publishes a list and map of every licensed dispensary.
Ohio Telehealth
Evaluation
$189/visit
Video Visit For Ohio Patients
Ohio Allows Video Exams; An In-Person Exam May Be Required
90-Day Recommendation, 3 Renewals
Ohio Requires A Physician With A Certificate To Recommend
90-Day Recommendation, 3 Renewals
Ohio Cannabis
Card Term
1 year
DCC Sends A Renewal Notice 45 Days Ahead
90-Day Recommendation, 3 Renewals
OHIO AT A GLANCE
FAQ
Is marijuana legal in Columbus, Ohio?
Yes. Medical marijuana has been legal in Ohio since 2016 under House Bill 523. Ohio also legalized recreational cannabis in November 2023 under Issue 2, with adult-use sales beginning in August 2024. Columbus residents 21 and older can legally purchase recreational cannabis from licensed dispensaries without a medical card. However, medical card holders still gain a few things: no 10% adult-use excise tax, bulk buys of up to four days’ limit, and access from age 18 instead of 21. The daily limit is the same for both. If you have a qualifying medical condition, getting certified through the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (OMMCP) is worth considering.
Can you smoke marijuana in public in Columbus, Ohio?
No. Under Senate Bill 56, in effect since March 20, 2026, no one may consume adult-use marijuana in a public place, and no one may smoke or vape any marijuana there. Smoking or vaping in public is a minor misdemeanor. Medical patients may never smoke their cannabis and may vape it only on private residential or agricultural property. Ohio law lets a public place allow other medical use, such as an edible, but never smoking or vaping.
Who qualifies for a medical marijuana card in Columbus?
Ohio residents diagnosed with one of 26 qualifying conditions may be eligible, and a patient under 18 applies through a caregiver. Common qualifying conditions include pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable, PTSD, cancer, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and glaucoma. Arthritis, chronic migraines, complex regional pain syndrome, degenerative disc disease and lupus where pain is present are not listed by name, but the State Medical Board of Ohio treats them as covered by chronic or intractable pain, and the physician decides whether yours qualifies. An Ohio physician with a Certificate to Recommend must confirm your diagnosis and enter your recommendation in the state registry. Ohio allows this exam by telehealth, but the physician may require an in-person visit.
How much does a medical marijuana card cost in Ohio?
Ohio charges no state registration fee; the DCC cut it from $50 to one cent in March 2024 and now charges nothing. The main cost is the physician evaluation; a new patient telehealth evaluation with Dr. Green Relief is $189. Your physician also needs your Ohio driver’s license, Ohio ID card or another DCC-approved ID number to register you.
How long is an Ohio medical marijuana card valid?
Your Ohio medical marijuana card is valid from the date it is issued and expires one year later, on the last day of the month it was issued. You need at least one exam a year with an Ohio CTR physician to keep your recommendation current. Each recommendation lasts up to 90 days with three renewals, and the registration must be finished within 90 days of the recommendation.
Can I get my Ohio marijuana card online?
Yes. Ohio law lets a physician with a Certificate to Recommend examine you by telehealth, even at your first visit. The exam must meet the same standard of care as an in-person visit, and a physician may still ask to see you in person. Once your physician submits your recommendation to the state registry, you can complete your card registration online and download your digital card.
OTHER OHIO CITY GUIDES
