Dispensaries want relaxed ad rules

Limits make sure ads don’t target kids, comply with FDA, state says.

— Members of Ohio’s medical marijuana industry would like the state to relax some of the restrictions on advertising and communicating with patients. Regulators say the rules are necessary to protect the integrity of the industry and patient privacy.

Nearly a year after Ohio’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened, cannabis companies are still frustrated by advertising and communication restrictions.

“We’re not allowed to comment on online forums (such as Facebook), and nowadays that’s where most people get their information,” said Geoff Korff, CEO of Galenas, an Akron marijuana cultivator.

Companies can’t chime in when social media users post falsehoods or misconceptions, Korff said.

“Misinformation spreads that way,” said Alex Thomas, executive director of the Ohio Medical Marijuana License Holder Coalition.

State officials plan to consider changes to the medical marijuana program’s rules every year, and the industry is lobbying for relaxed advertising rules.

In a statement, the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy said, “It’s important to note that the FDA maintains regulatory authority over health claims and ingredients in drugs, foods, and dietary supplements. Moreover, the Ohio General Assembly authorized the creation of a medical marijuana control program ... expressly prohibiting the sale of medical marijuana that could be deemed attractive to children.”

The statement added that the program has a responsibility to ensure that advertising and marketing campaigns don’t target children, comply with FDA regulations governing health claims and food/supplement ingredients, and don’t encourage or promote recreational marijuana use.

The pharmacy board must approve all ads, and companies must abide by pharmaceutical advertising rules, which bar claims unsupported by rigorous research. With few comprehensive studies on the efficacy of medical marijuana, dispensaries are severely restricted in their messaging.

Ads take several weeks to be approved; industry members want a quicker approval process.

“We’re trying to build brands,” said Caroline Henry, vice president of Greenleaf, which operates five dispensaries under the name The Botanist. “It’s a competitive industry, and it’s hard to build a brand when you can’t advertise what is special about it.”

Companies also can’t respond when patients lodge complaints on social media, Henry said. They can only provide a number to call.