Sextant worked with a Colorado company to refine its patch method there and has some advice for Ohio’s medical marijuana program:
- Set reasonable capital and cash requirements for license holders. Setting the minimum required capital too high will kill the industry before it starts.
- Make patient registration easy and conflict free for physicians.
- Provide education for physicians so they feel more comfortable recommending marijuana.
How patches work
Patches contain a smaller dose of marijuana than patients would take orally. The dose is gradually absorbed by the skin into the bloodstream.
The patches might be more expensive than other methods. But Sextant executive Joe Bennett said they would be attractive to patients looking for a steady stream of marijuana compounds over a long period of time. And patches can be discreetly worn under clothing.
The law doesn’t allow patients to smoke marijuana, which Bennett said should make it more palatable for doctors to recommend.
“Recommending someone smoke or vape marijuana — it doesn’t give the image of a controlled therapy,” Bennett said.
