Will recreational pot go on sale soon in Ohio? Medical marijuana stores can now apply to sell it

Recreational pot sales are nearing reality in Ohio.

The state Division of Cannabis Control began accepting applications Friday for new dual licenses that will allow existing medical marijuana dispensaries to also sell nonmedical cannabis.

Friday was the deadline for making applications available, a provision in a 2023 initiated statute approved overwhelmingly by Ohio voters. Under the measure, Ohioans over 21 were immediately able to legally grow and possess adult-use marijuana at home, but there has yet to be anywhere in the state to legally buy it.

State regulators won’t say how long license approvals could take, but those who have helped put together rules for the program believe the first sales could come by mid-June. That’s because obtaining a dual license will allow Ohio’s network of about 132 medical pot dispensaries to begin selling those same products simply for fun.

An industry representative told legislators last month that many stores are busy preparing for the conversion.

“We’re very excited about Ohio. Ten million person population here in the state, so it’s a big, big opportunity for us,” Trip McDermott, chief operating officer of Verano, said at the company’s cultivation facility in Canton.