Ohio starts adult use (271 words)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio became the 21st U.S. state to introduce an adult-use cannabis market on August 6, shortening the legal deadline by one month.

The state joined Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington in the legal recreational sales club. Recreational use programs in Delaware, Minnesota and Virginia are expected to be operational in early 2025.

The Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Cannabis Control has issued dual-use operating licenses to 98 dispensaries – up from 110 provisional licenses issued in July – allowing them to sell both medical and recreational products.

Industry analysts predict Ohio sales could reach as much as $1.65 billion by 2027. The state’s dispensaries, including both local operators like Klutch and Queen City Cannabis and national operators like Ayr Wellness and Verano Holdings Corp., are gearing up to meet expected demand from Ohio’s nearly 12 million residents. Notably, Ohio’s launch did not include a social program, which contrasts with launches in some other states.

Verano Holdings Corp., which will expand its presence to 150 dispensaries in fourteen states with the acquisition of The Cannabist Co.’s properties in Arizona and Virginia, began serving adult-use customers at four locations, including a dispensary in Cincinnati near the Kentucky border. Since Ohio borders five other states — only one of which, Michigan, has legalized adult-use — sales near the border are likely to bring in significant revenue.

Ohio’s entry into the recreational market follows an initiative passed by voters in November 2023 and reflects a growing trend toward recreational legalization in the Midwest.