Photos Chris Woodman
The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control announced 98 dispensaries are approved to begin adult-use cannabis sales on Aug. 6. That story is here.
Ohio will be the 21st state to launch adult-use cannabis sales when licensed dispensaries open their doors to those 21 and older at 10 a.m. Aug. 6.
The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) hasn’t officially issued dual-use certificates of operation—allowing existing dispensaries to serve both medical patients and adult-use customers—to store owners just yet, but the division plans to make a formal announcement Aug. 5, a Department of Commerce spokesperson told Cannabis Business Times.
Once cannabis dispensaries receive their certificates of operation, the DCC will update a map showing which of the 134 dispensaries that applied for dual-use licensure are available to serve adult-use customers. The department spokesperson did not share with CBT how many of the state’s dispensaries would be granted a first-mover advantage on opening day.
However, several Ohio cannabis companies confirmed Aug. 2 with CBT that they received approval to commence sales Aug. 6 at some or all of their Ohio retail facilities. These companies include Chicago-based Cresco Labs (Sunnyside), Chicago-based Verano (Zen Leaf), Florida-based Trulieve, Florida-based Bloom Medicinals, New York-based The Cannabist Co. (Columbia Care), Massachusetts-based Curaleaf and three Ohio-based operators: Buckeye Relief (Amplify), Standard Wellness (The Forest) and Klutch Cannabis (The Citizen).
Editor’s note: Roughly 60 companies operate the state’s cannabis dispensaries. These nine are just the ones CBT confirmed have received approval.
Cresco Labs’ Sunnyside dispensaries in Cincinnati, Wintersville and Marion were approved as of midday Friday, while the company was still awaiting approval for its retail facilities in Newark and Chillicothe, Chief Communications Officer Jason Erkes told CBT.
“The first sales will take place Tuesday morning, and we can’t wait to open our Sunnyside doors across Ohio to show consumers what regulated cannabis looks like,” he said. “I think they will be surprised at the product selection and welcoming experience.”
Buckeye Relief, which operates a cultivation and processing facility in Eastlake and has served Ohio’s medical cannabis market since the very beginning, received adult-use approval for its Amplify dispensaries in Cleveland Heights, Columbus and Bedford.
“We are extremely excited,” Buckeye Relief CEO Andy Rayburn said. “We are happy for the people in our area to have a safe, clean alternative to the illegal products that they’ve been forced to buy so far. We look forward to the whole market opening up for everybody.”
Rayburn said he anticipates heavy adult-use customer traffic for the first week or two. In preparation, the company increased staffing by 50% at all three Amplify dispensaries.
“My team is awesome, and they have plans to make any possible waiting time very comfortable,” he said. “But we expect to move even these initial large crowds through very quickly and efficiently. We’ll be taking special care of our medical patients. They got us here. They’ll have their own line; they will bypass the crowds; and, of course, they will bypass the 10 percent excise tax.”
Voters approved the 10% excise tax on adult-use cannabis sales via Issue 2 in the November 2023 election. This tax is in addition to the state’s 5.75% sales tax.
Klutch Cannabis, an Akron-based cultivator and processor, received approval to launch adult-use sales on Aug. 6 at its The Citizen dispensaries in Canton and Lorain, according to a company press release. Both stores will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.
Adults 21 years and older wishing to purchase nonmedical cannabis will need to present a valid form of identification to be admitted into any adult-use dispensary establishment throughout Ohio.
Standard Wellness, which has a cultivation and processing facility in Gibsonburg, told CBT it received approval to start adult-use sales Aug. 6 at its The Forest dispensaries in Cincinnati and Springfield but was still awaiting a certificate of operation for its dispensary location in Sandusky.
Bloom Medicinals, which has four Ohio dispensary locations, confirmed with CBT that it received approval to start adult-use cannabis sales on Aug. 6 at its stores in Columbus and Painesville Township, while there's a possibility Seven Mile will also open on Tuesday. The company's retail facility in Akron was to be determined as of Aug. 2.
“Our mission remains unchanged: to provide fast, friendly and knowledgeable service to our customers,” Bloom Vice President of Marketing Missy Starr said. “We have been diligently preparing to ensure product availability, increase staffing and prioritize our medical customers. Based on our experience in other states, we anticipate a smooth transition during this period.”
Verano, which has a cultivation and processing facility in Canton, received approval to begin adult-use sales at its Ohio Zen Leaf dispensaries in Bowling Green, Canton, Cincinnati and Dayton but was still awaiting approval for its store in Newark as of mid-afternoon Aug. 2, Vice President of Communications Steve Mazeika told CBT.
“Today marks a significant step forward for Ohio, and the nation at large, as we celebrate the end of cannabis prohibition and turn the page on a new chapter that will deliver countless benefits for the Buckeye State in the form of job creation, economic development, investment, state and local revenue, and social progress,” Verano CEO George Archos said in a press release Aug. 5. “We’re honored to participate in this historic milestone, and proud to stand alongside Ohioans as we make history together.”
Trulieve, the largest cannabis retailer in the nation with 142 dispensaries in Florida alone, received approval to launch adult-use sales Aug. 6 at its Ohio stores located in Beavercreek, Columbus and Westerville, the company announced in a press release.
“We are excited to be among the first group of operators to launch adult use sales in Ohio following a successful ballot initiative last year,” Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers said in a public statement. “We are committed to maintaining excellent service standards for our existing medical patients while welcoming new adult-use customers to our dispensaries.”
The Cannabist Co., which operates Columbia Care dispensaries in Dayton, Logan, Marietta and Monroe, and a gLeaf dispensary in Warren, plans to open all five Ohio dispensaries to adult-use customers on Aug. 6.
“The Cannabist Company is thrilled that we have been just approved for five retail adult-use licenses and will kick off adult-use sales bright and early Tuesday morning,” CEO David Hart said in a statement provided to CBT. “We can’t wait to welcome new customers while continuing to support our loyal patients. We want to extend our appreciation to the Division of Cannabis Control for its hard work and dedication in implementing this program.”
Curaleaf, the largest publicly traded cannabis company in the world, which has a cultivation and processing facility in Johnstown, Ohio, announced Aug. 5 that it will begin adult-use sales Aug. 6 at its dispensary in Newark, Ohio. Its second Ohio retail facility in Cuyahoga Falls remains open to medical patients only with plans to transition to adult-use sales upon regulatory approval.
“We have been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to serve a new community of Ohioans and are thrilled to be a part of the first group of operators to kick off adult-use sales in the state," Curaleaf CEO Matt Darin said in a press release. “We firmly believe that Ohio has the potential to be one of the nation's most exciting cannabis markets and have prepared for this moment by increasing cultivation capacity and prioritizing flower availability to accommodate the launch. Having effectively transitioned several medical markets to adult-use, we look forward to introducing the state's adult-use consumers to our carefully curated brand and product collection to help them find the best-suited products to meet their diverse needs. Thanks to state leadership and the voters of Ohio, we now begin the process of building a new market that supports adult-use and medical customers alike.”
Ohio’s imminent launch represents a catalyst for the cannabis industry: Ohio will be the fourth most-populated state to commence adult-use sales after California, Illinois and New York. Ohio is also the first to roll out an adult-use program since Maryland did so on July 1, 2023.
In addition, millions of adults 21 years and older residing in bordering Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia—who don’t have access to adult-use cannabis in their home states—will now live within driving distance of licensed and regulated cannabis products.
