The state has released the first information about how it will implement the medical marijuana law that takes effect Sept. 8.

So far, questions outnumber answers.

The first question ” When will marijuana be available? ” is the easiest to answer: no later than September 2018, but possibly earlier.

Tons of rules and standards remain to be written, staff must be hired and licenses approved before the first patient recommendation for legal pot can be written. Plus, marijuana has to be grown, processed, tested and sent to dispensaries before it gets in the hands of patients.

One thing we know from the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program’s new website  is that the state is looking for expert help. The state will pay $50,000 to a contractor “with specialized industry knowledge to assist with the development of the rules and regulations impacting cultivators of medical marijuana.” The job will involve “researching cultivation techniques and processes utilized in other states” and “establishing cultivation standards for business operating in Ohio.” [Read more at Canton Rep]