The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control will issue its first batch of dual-use certificates of operation to nearly 100 dispensaries across the state Tuesday, making recreational marijuana commercially available to Ohioans for the first time.
Of these dispensaries, 16 dual-use locations are located in the Dayton region. They are called dual-use because they can legally sell both medical and recreational cannabis.
Ohioans who are 21 and older can legally purchase cannabis products from licensed locations throughout the state, but cannabis officials say hopeful customers should keep a few things in mind.
Product types, limits
Dispensaries in the Dayton area and across Ohio sell flower, edibles, patches, lotions and even infused drinks.
But the state has rules for how much an adult can purchase and possess at one time. According to state law, non-medical consumers can lawfully possess, transfer of transport up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and 15 grams of extract or edibles.
Customers can buy no more than 10 whole-day units of cannabis across all forms per day, according to the Division of Cannabis Control. A whole-day unit varies from up to 110 milligrams of THC for edibles to 2.83 grams for plant material. Thus, customers can’t buy the maximum amount of flower, vape cartridges and edibles in one shopping trip.
ID requirements, payment, taxes
All Ohio dispensaries are required to see valid state-issued ID cards from customers before making a sale to verify customers’ ages.
Many dispensaries are cash-only, so business leaders recommend customers bring cash with them to the first sales day. Some dispensaries also accept payment through apps specifically geared toward cannabis sales, like Spendr and CanPay, and it’s common for dispensaries to have ATMs inside.
According to the Division of Cannabis Control, customers should also expect to pay a 10% excise tax.
The tax revenue will go toward a social equity and jobs program, mental health and addiction services, local governments, and the administrative costs of the Ohio Department of Taxation and the Division of Cannabis Control, according to the state division.
‘Be patient and be excited’
Local dispensaries have been preparing for the start to recreational sale for quite some time, and they’ve taken notes from other states’ launches to adult-use programming, said Pure Ohio Wellness chief operating officer Tracey McMillen.
Pure Ohio Wellness operates dispensaries in Dayton and London, as well as a grow and processing facility located in Clark County. McMillen said dispensary operators expect to have enough products to service customers throughout the first day of sales, but in the event products fly off their shelves, the business’ grow facility is not far away.
“Be patient and be excited,” McMillen said when asked what guidance she had to offer to Tuesday cannabis customers. “We are all part of the cannabis history in Ohio. Come prepared’ we’re excited to serve you. Just have a little patience and good cheer.”
How we got here
State officials said this comes more than a month in advance of the Sept. 7 deadline as outlined in the initiated statute passed by Ohio voters last November.
Once a dispensary has received its certificate of operation, it is legally authorized to begin the sale of non-medical cannabis in addition to medical cannabis.
However, the issuance of certificates of operation does not necessarily mean non-medical sales will begin immediately at every dispensary, as each licensee must determine when they will start sales based on factors including staffing, stock and other business considerations, according to cannabis control division officials.
The issuance of operation certificates is based on roughly the order in which completed applications were received by the Division and when compliance tasks were fulfilled, according to the state.
Division leaders said they intend to award certificates to all remaining eligible dispensaries later this week.
James Canepa, the cannabis control division superintendent, said on Monday that the state was able to move forward with certificates of operation ahead of the Sept. 7 deadline largely due to the foundation made by the state’s medical cannabis program.
“Since existing licensees had already met stringent requirements of that program, we anticipated this process to be rather smooth. They had already undergone many of the comprehensive checks as part of that process.,” he said.
In order to receive a certificate of operation, dispensaries must show they are able to properly process adult use and medical sales since there’s a tax consideration.
In addition, licensees must validate that their security systems meet legal requirements and agree they will ensure as much as possible inventory remains available for medical patients.
They also must validate employee training and have implemented updated employee badging, according to the state.
