Legal recreational weed is coming to Ohio this summer.
With little fanfare, an Ohio legislative committee cleared the way on Monday for dispensaries that already sell medical marijuana to begin applying in June for licenses to sell to all customers 21 and older.
This is part of what voters chose when they passed Issue 2 in November 2023.
At a brief hearing of the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR), James Canepa, director of the Division of Cannabis Control, confirmed that his agency has been working to set the policies for recreational marijuana sales exactly as dictated in Issue 2. That law took effect in December, but it gave the state time to sort out the application process.
“Our role is to make the rules that drive what the [law] put in place,” Canepa said.
JCARR’s role is to review rules written by state agencies to make sure they align with the law. The committee’s involvement in the rules related to Issue 2 is scheduled to end on May 26.
Dual-use applications — for existing medical dispensaries that want to sell recreational cannabis products — should be available by June 7, according to Jamie Crawford, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Commerce. (The Division of Cannabis Control is part of Commerce.)
“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,” Crawford said in a statement to Signal Cleveland.
Recreational marijuana sales by July 4?
In April, State Rep. Jamie Callendar told Ohio Capital Journal that some dual-use applications could be approved by mid-June.
“We should begin to see legal recreational sales of marijuana in Ohio certainly before July 4th weekend,” Calendar said.
Green Thumb, which operates the RISE Dispensaries in Cleveland and Lakewood, plans to apply for dual-use licenses as soon as registration is open.
“When Issue 2 passed, Green Thumb immediately began preparations for increased demand with the launch of adult-use sales, such as expanding our cultivation and processing facility and hiring additional retail team members,” said Dan Shaker, Green Thumb’s commercial general manager for Ohio.
Shaker also advised current medical marijuana users not to let their cards expire so they can avoid paying the 10% state tax.