COLUMBUS, Ohio – Four more medical marijuana dispensaries have been given state approval to open their doors to patients in recent weeks – bringing the total number of Ohio retailers to 124, according to a monthly state report.
This number is important because it could give adults aged 21 and older more locations to buy marijuana once recreational sales begin.
Only open medical marijuana dispensaries – those that have received a certificate of operation from the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control – can apply to the agency for a dual-use license to also sell recreational marijuana. Dual-use license applications are expected to be published on the Division of Cannabis Control’s website sometime between now and June 7.
Under the initiated statute legalizing recreational marijuana that voters approved in November, state regulators must approve all dual-use applicants unless there is an issue with their application or general dispensary readiness, such as having a working point-of-sale system that can distinguish between medical and recreational sales. Recreational sales are subject to a special 10% excise tax that medical sales are not subject to.
That means some dispensaries could be approved for recreational customers within weeks, although state officials haven’t provided a firm launch date.
According to a Division
