Sales of medical cannabis in Ohio’s tightly restricted market appear to have peaked, as lawmakers continue to stall the launch of the state’s recently legalized adult-use marketplace.
Licensed retailers reported selling $484 million of medical cannabis in 2023, according to state sales figures first reported in Crain’s Cleveland Business.
That total is below initial MJBizDaily projections and represents growth of only 1% from 2022 to 2023, Crain’s reported.
It also underscores Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s recent push for Ohio lawmakers to take quicker action and launch a recreational marijuana marketplace.
Observers say the Ohio MMJ slowdown is at least partially attributable to strict rules that limit patient access in the state – as well as recreational cannabis available in nearby Michigan.
The state has only 175,484 patients with both an active recommendation from a physician as well as an active registration in a state database, according to Ohio Department of Commerce figures.
That’s considered low for a state with Ohio’s relatively high population, especially when compared to nearby Pennsylvania.
With a population of nearly 13 million, Pennsylvania has 433,638 registered patients, according to state data.
Sales in that state were on track to approach $1.5 billion in 2023.
Operators of Michigan adult-use cannabis dispensaries near the Ohio border say as many as half of their customers live in Ohio.
More than 55% of voters approved Issue 2 in November, making Ohio the 24th state to legalize adult-use marijuana.
But the state still has no clear path to initiating sales, even though possession and cultivation became legal in December.
That all amounts to a “goofy situation” that is “not what people intended,” DeWine, who opposed Issue 2, told The Intelligencer.
“All this is doing is fostering a bigger Black market because people think they can buy it legally and advertising is being done.”
DeWine called on take quicker action “to take action and fix that.”
