These local marijuana dispensaries are readying recreational sales
(WJW) — As of Monday, the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control had issued provisional licenses to more than 100 cannabis dispensaries looking to sell both medical and adult-use marijuana, including 38 in Northeast Ohio.
But those dual-use licenses are just placeholders, and don’t allow them to start selling it. There’s still more regulatory legwork before they get the green light to actually open for business, and there’s no telling when your local shop can start selling to non-medical consumers.
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Before issuing the certificate of operation allowing them to begin selling recreational marijuana, Ohio’s newly formed Division of Cannabis Control is ensuring inspection requirements are met and that dispensaries’ point-of-sale systems can distinguish between medical and non-medical cannabis sales and also charge the state’s 10% excise tax.
Sage Graham, owner of Amplify Dispensary in Bedford, has been in operation since 2021, with dispensaries on Coventry in Cleveland Heights, in Columbus and now Bedford. It’s one of dozens of Northeast Ohio dispensaries granted a provisional license for dual-use sales.
“If the switch were to flip tomorrow, we are ready,” Graham said. “But we don’t have a date. We don’t know when. We’re in this big stage of hurry up and wait.”
Right now, it’s only selling to medical patients.
“We have to do kind of an inspection, make sure everything is good, making sure that the sales are actually going through and posting,” Graham said.
Those certificates will be issued to dispensaries in “roughly the order” their applications were received, said division spokesperson James Crawford. So far, none have been issued.
“It’s important to keep in mind that, based on the criteria above, there will be no one singular day when sales begin. We will start issuing licenses and it will be up to the retailer based on staffing, stock and other considerations as to which day they will begin sales,” he said. “Given the foundation already laid through the Medical Marijuana Control Program, current medical permit holders positioned to apply for dual-use status who have already undergone many of the comprehensive checks are anticipated to have a much quicker turnaround for issuance of licenses over the summer.”
The state must start issuing certificates to qualified shops by Sept. 7, under the rules outlined in the state’s new legal cannabis statute.
Voters in November approved Issue 2, making it legal in Ohio for those age 21 and older to possess up to 2 1/2 ounces of cannabis flower and up to 15 grams of extract. It also allows Ohioans to grow up to six cannabis plants per household, or up to 12 plants if there are two or more adults in the home.
Based on Amplify’s location, Graham said he thinks business could double or even triple once adult-use cannabis sales begin.
The law also allows local communities to opt out of allowing new adult-use cannabis businesses in their limits. Despite budding growth of new dispensaries in the state, at least 56 Ohio communities have enacted moratoriums or permanent bans.
See 56 places in Ohio that have banned recreational marijuana businesses
Here’s where the Northeast Ohio dispensaries with dual-use provisional licenses are located:
Ashtabula County
Italian Herbs, 2712 W. Prospect Road, Ashtabula
Columbiana County
FRX Health, 1865 Dresden Ave., East Liverpool
Cuyahoga County
Amplify, 22803 Rockside Road, Bedford
The Landing Dispensary, 1978 E. 3rd St., Cleveland
Green Power OH, 13429 Lakewood Heights Blvd., Cleveland
Cannavitz Ventures, 13501 Lakewood Heights Blvd., Cleveland
Rise, 1222 Prospect Ave. E, Cleveland
Amplify, 1782 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights
Nectar Markets of Ohio, 21100 Saint Clair Ave., Euclid
RISE, 18607 Detroit Ave., Lakewood
RISE, 11818 Madison Ave., Lakewood
Twice the Wellness, 27900 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere
Erie County
Firelands Scientific Dispensary, 2344 University Drive East, Huron
The Forest Dispensary, 5020 Milan Road, Sandusky
Ascend Dispensary Outlet, 6019 Milan Road, Sandusky
Lake County
Good Day Dispensary, 34480 Vine St., Eastlake
Bloom Medicinals, 382 Blackbrook Road, Painesville
Insa, 27751 Chardon Road, Willoughby Hills
Lorain County
Nirvana Ohio, 914 Cleveland St., Elyria
Rise, 1920 Cooper Foster Park Road W, Lorain
The Citizen by Klutch, 5152 Grove Ave., Lorain
Body and Mind Dispensary, 709 Sugar Lane, Elyria
Mahoning County
Leaf Relief, 4323 Market St., Youngstown
Green Leaf Therapy, 93 S. Bridge St., Struthers
Medina County
GreenBud, 5000 Park Ave. W, Seville
Portage County
Bliss Ohio, 331 E. Main St., Kent
Supergood, 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
Stark County
The Citizen by Klutch, 401 Cherry Ave. NE, Canton
ZenLeaf Canton, 3224 Cleveland Ave. NW, Canton
Ohio Cannabis Company, 4016 Greentree Ave. SW, Canton
Summit County
Culture Cannabis Club, 1568 E. Archwood Ave., Akron
Bloom Medicinals, 737 East North St., Akron
The Botanist, 46 S. Summit St., Akron
Curaleaf, 1220 Buchholzer Blvd. Ste. C, Cuyahoga Falls
FRX Health, 1682 State Road, Cuyahoga Falls
Trumbull County
ACA Dispensary, 437 E. Liberty St., Hubbard
gLeaf Medical Cannabis, 2932 Youngstown Road SE, Warren
Tuscarawas County
Ratio, 1145 W. High Ave., New Philadelphia
See the full list of active Ohio dispensaries on the Medical Marijuana Control Program website.
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