COLUMBUS, Ohio – June is coming to a close with no dispensaries open for recreational marijuana consumers, as the state continues to process applications from cannabis businesses.
The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control on June 7 published online applications for existing medical marijuana growers, testers, processors and dispensaries to become dual-use licensees, also serving the recreational market, which is for adults aged 21 and older.
The agency will process applications on a first-come, first-served basis, said Jamie Crawford, a division spokesman – with one caveat.
“However, to help ensure an efficient supply chain, initial applications received from cultivators, processors, and testing laboratories received priority at the very beginning of the process,” Crawford said.
That means dispensary applications will be reviewed after those from growers, processors and labs.
Dispensaries “cannot sell non-medical cannabis to customers until the inventory production licensees (labs, cultivators and processors) have secured their own Certificate of Operation to test, grow and process non-medical inventory that can then be made available to dispensaries for sale,” Crawford said.
“That’s why, at least initially, it was important to give priority to current cultivator, lab and processor licensees,” he added.
This puts a damper on hopes of a quick arrival of dispensary sales and extinguishes hopes that adult-use
