Large Eastlake marijuana cultivator Buckeye Relief has become just the fourth company in Ohio to open a marijuana processing facility as that end of the supply chain continues its own slow rollout.

The state has the ability to license up to 40 processors, which make a variety of marijuana concentrates and THC-infused products, from wax, oils and tinctures to chocolates and lotions. The state has provisionally licensed 39 processors so far in two waves, one in August and another in January.

Buckeye Relief secured a certificate of operation for its processing lab on June 7. It's just the fourth to do so in addition to Grow Ohio in Newton Township (Muskingum County), Standard Wellness Co. in Gibsonburg (Sandusky County) and FN Group Holdings in Ravenna Township (Portage County).

Processors coming online means additional products besides marijuana flower have begun to hit dispensary shelves, particularly in Northeast Ohio, where three of the aforementioned processors are located.

Those labs are typically part extraction facility and part commercial kitchen.

Buckeye Relief spokeswoman Leslie Brandon said the company expects to have its own processed items available for retailers around July or August.

Those include a line of concentrates (beginning with "live resin"), a proprietary line of chocolates, Apothecanna lotions and topicals and Wana Sour Gummies.

The other name-brand items are licensed from other companies. The Wana gummies, for example, are licensed from a company based in Boulder, Colo., that provides the recipe, jars, labeling and some ingredients — pretty much everything except the marijuana distillate — while the processor makes the finished, state-compliant product.

Ohio has told processors to open within six months after issuance of their provisional licenses, though very few have met that timeline and only two other companies have facility inspection dates set, which happen to be this month. An inspection must be passed before a certificate of operation is awarded and the processor can get to work.

Processors can file extensions without penalty if they can't meet their deadlines, though they're expected to pay at least half of their $90,000 annual fee at that time regardless of where they stand on opening.

Although the development of processors has seemed slow, Kelly Whitaker, a spokeswoman with the Ohio Department of Commerce, said the rollout has been in line with what's been seen in other markets. It is believed that most processors, even if building from the ground up, should be able to get their facilities up and running in six months. Like development of cultivation facilities, construction delays at various projects have led to setbacks.

As of June 8, the state has logged $9.7 million in product sales since they began in January.

As of June 13, 42,372 recommendations have been issued, with 35,162 of those registered. Just 20,074 patients have purchased something so far. That means only 47% of patients who have been recommended medical marijuana have purchased products so far. The reasons for that are likely varied, from high costs to access.

In terms of access, there are just 18 dispensaries open today out of a total of 60 the state can license. The southeast and northwest corners of the state have virtually no nearby dispensaries right now. You can find the open dispensaries on a map recently created by the state here.

Many believe there's a pent-up demand for processed products, which may be why several patients have been sitting on the sidelines.

"We are hearing from our dispensaries that people are anxious for alternatives to flower," Brandon said. "We hope as more processed items go in the market that more patients will be signing up."

Meanwhile, the state medical board on June 12 discussed petitions to expand the number of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana, of which there are currently 21.

Five additional conditions were petitioned for: depression, insomnia, opioid use disorder, autism spectrum disorder and anxiety. Of those, the board rejected the first three, but voted to review adding the additional two in the future. The 12-person board said it wanted more time to review the other conditions, particularly in light of there being two newer board members. The next time a vote could come on those is July 10, but there's no guarantee they'll approve them.

The state opens a window to petition for additional qualifying conditions between Nov. 1–Dec. 31. The idea is to approve any new qualifying conditions within six months after that time frame closes, but there's nothing requiring that. A spokesperson for the medical board said if any additional qualifying conditions are approved, though, they'd look to do that sooner than later and almost certainly before the next petition window opens.

Expanding qualifying conditions to autism and anxiety would greatly increase the number of potentially eligible medical marijuana patients.