Every time a new state comes online with legalized cannabis, a stoner gets a smile. This week, the country is celebrating with Ohio. Over 100 dispensaries have rung up their first adult-use sales since Issue 2 passed last year.
Lo Friesen co-founded Ohio cannabis brand and retailer Cielo Jardin with her parents and siblings. The CEO shared her excitement for the new market with GreenState.
“Finally – the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” Friesen said. “We’re excited to serve both the existing medical market and the new adult-use cannabis consumers.”
Adults over 21 years old in Ohio can now legally buy up to two and a half ounces of cured cannabis flower per transaction at licensed dispensaries. They can also purchase 15 grams of extracts or the same weight in edibles. Possession laws allow people to carry up to 70 grams at one time.
Ohio medical dispensaries have been in operation since 2019 following the passage of HB 532, which established The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program (OMMCP) in 2016. About 60 of those medical dispensaries were granted adult-use licenses by late June and have since undergone the necessary inspections and additional hurdles left before opening as an adult-use retailer.
The hurdles are now lifted, and stores of all sizes have begun opening doors for recreational sales. The Cannabist is thankful to make Ohio its tenth state of operation. Lindsay Wilson, senior vice president of communications for the company, is pleased that more people will have access to regulated cannabis products.
“It’s a chance for us to extend further into the community and create wider awareness about cannabis and its benefits. For the industry, this is also going to help expand product offerings and innovation in the market with a larger customer base all while giving a boost to the local economy,” Wilson said.
Everything to know about buying legal weed in Ohio
Cannabis industry operations create more jobs, provide safe access to cannabis, and lead to an influx of people visiting new areas. However, not every locality takes advantage of this. States will often let municipal governments manage cannabis zoning for themselves. This sometimes leads tourist-centric or more oft-visited locations to ban weed operations. Moratoriums like this send cannabis biz elsewhere, creating new unlikely hubs in legalized states.
By July, over 50 municipalities in Ohio had passed moratoriums against adult-use cannabis operations in their city or county limits. These jurisdictions cover only 10 percent of the state population, and smaller towns lean towards bans. Most cite worries over public safety as the reasoning behind their choice, but that is not echoed elsewhere.
Friesen grew up in the Buckeye State and looks to Northeast Ohio as the next cannabis epicenter.
“Northeast Ohio is where it’s at,” Friesen said excitedly. “CJ’s Dispensary is proud to be opening in Parma, a beautiful city surrounded by cities with moratoriums. We’re grateful to the City Council and other city officials for being open-minded and permitting a few dispensaries in the City of Parma.
The entrepreneur also owns an extract brand in Washington state, where many patients were left wondering what to do once the state turned over to recreational use. She and Wilson are adamant that patients will continue to be served with care as recreational sales move forward. However, medical card holders are already expressing woeful dismay for how things are shaking out.
At The Cannabist, patients will have dedicated lines and point-of-sale stations to skip lines and lengthy waits. New brands may also create a more vast product variety for patients. However, previous markets have shown that adult-use dollars often sway what dispensaries sell.
“Patients can still expect their recommended supply to be available and medical cannabis to be as high quality as before, if not better,” Friesen predicted. “Fortunately, the state of Ohio has continued to emphasize the importance of accommodating medical patients during and after this transition.”
Ohio locals and visitors can celebrate as people gain access to regulated weed. As the industry in “The Heart of it All” takes shape, consumers have the power to preserve the medical program that brought it all together.
