When Ohio's medical marijuana law takes effect Sept. 8, people can possess and use the drug without going to jail.

But the new law doesn't specify where people can get marijuana. 

Lawmakers have said that until the state's dispensaries are set up, residents can travel to Michigan or another legal state and bring marijuana back. But legal experts say doing so would violate state and federal laws, as well as a key provision of the federal government's hands-off approach to regulating state medical marijuana programs. 

So most people will likely buy marijuana through Ohio's existing black market.

Here's why.

Strings attached 

Less than a month after a bill legalizing medical marijuana in Ohio was signed into law, nearly 30 cannabis-related trade names are registered to one name and address in Athens County.

Names like The Ohio State Cannabis Company, Capital Cannabis Company and Columbus Cannabis Collective, among others, are all registered to a 54-year-old man named Thomas Jackson, an aspiring legal medical cannabis producer who wants to make sure he won’t have to pay anyone for the name he wants on his operation.

That’s despite legal medicinal cannabis production in Ohio being more than a year away, Jackson said. He doesn’t expect the rules for Ohio producers to be fleshed out until at least May of 2017.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D) of Oregon, crowned “Congress’s top legal pot advocate,” by Rolling Stone, found an unlikely ally for his latest marijuana-related bill: Rep. Andy Harris (R) of Maryland. The conservative Republican introduced a provision that effectively blocked D.C. from loosening its pot laws, launching him to the center of the controversy about marijuana legalization as pot’s most vocal opponent.

After five years of quiet but rapid growth making equipment for the marijuana industry in other states, Apeks Supercritical is ready to ramp up business in Ohio.

With passage of a state medical-marijuana law that takes effect Sept. 8, the company not only expects to see a jump in manufacturing orders, but it also plans to get into the business as a marijuana processor.

“We had to work from the sidelines,” said Andy Joseph, Apeks’ CEO. “Now, I’m very optimistic about doing business in Ohio. I think it’s going to be fantastic.

“This isn’t just a bunch of stoners trying to get high all the time,” he said. “This is real business and real opportunities for the state of Ohio. This is truly an economic-development opportunity for the state.”

Following a resounding marijuana initiative defeat last November, this state seemingly defied the odds to become the 25th to legalize medical marijuana.

Marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, but it's been growing by leaps and bounds at the state level. This has both industry enthusiasts and investors believing that we're on the cusp of witnessing a major expansion of the industry in 2016.

Federal authorities say five U.S. Postal Service mail carriers in northeast Ohio are facing charges for their involvement in a scheme to deliver marijuana to a drug dealer.

A grand jury indictment handed up on Wednesday was unsealed on Monday.

All five Cleveland mail carriers face charges including conspiracy, taking bribes and distributing marijuana.

Charging documents say the carriers gave Kevin Collins their work schedules and postal routes. Collins then had marijuana packages shipped to addresses on their routes on the days they worked. The carriers would then deliver those packages to Collins in return for payment.

Collins has pleaded guilty to drug charges under a plea deal.

Republican Gov. John Kasich signed a bill Wednesday legalizing medical marijuana in Ohio, though patients shouldn’t expect to get it from dispensaries here anytime soon.

The bill lays out a number of steps that must happen first to set up the state’s medical marijuana program, which is expected to be fully operational in about two years. The law would allow patients to use marijuana in vapor form for certain chronic health conditions, but bar them from smoking it or growing it at home.

Kasich’s signature made Ohio the 25th state to legalize a comprehensive medical marijuana program, according to a count by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Some questions and answers about the legislation:

___

The Liberty Township family that moved to Colorado to treat their daughter with marijuana for her epilepsy is considering a move back to Ohio if Gov. John Kasich signs the medical-marijuana bill that the legislature passed last month.

“I have smiled inside and out at the thought of being able to come home, back to our family, friends, Skyline chili and Big Boy. I would pay big bucks for a Big Boy right about now,” said Heather Benton in Castle Rock, Colorado, outside Denver. “I’m just so tired of feeling like I don't have a home. As beautiful as it is, Colorado is not home.”

It may be 2018 before a patient, armed with a state registration card, can walk into a licensed marijuana dispensary in Ohio, make a purchase, and walk out into the direct path of a police officer without breaking a sweat.

But those who want to get in on the ground floor of growing pot as Ohio literally sows the seeds for a new medical marijuana industry should know by next May what will be expected of them. 

Those wanting to get into the processing, testing, and retail side of the business, however, may have to wait a year until state regulators write the rules under which they will have to play.

Marijuana plants could be growing legally in Ohio soil in a year, predicts state Sen. Dave Burke, an architect of Ohio's newly minted medical marijuana law.

"As soon as 16 months, you would have products tested and available," the Marysville Republican said.

House Bill 523, the medical marijuana law, completed a rocky journey through the legislature Wednesday. It is now headed to Gov. John Kasich.

Kasich has not indicated whether he will sign the bill into law. He also could veto it or allow it to take effect without his signature.