When will Ohio launch adult-use cannabis sales? Here’s what we know

The calendar has flipped well into July, and Ohio regulators have yet to grant any final approvals for retailers to launch adult-use cannabis sales.

The delays are an unwelcomed reality for local operators who hoped to cash in the perennial boost of the Fourth of July weekend, one of the busiest purchasing days of the year for the industry.

Meanwhile, more than 100 retailers in the process of receiving dual licenses are restricted from serving consumers until they receive so-called “certificates of operation,” the Ohio Capital Journal reported.

Such requirements include potential inspections and point-of-sale integrations that distinguish between medical and recreational sales for state tracking purposes.

Potential launch date came and went

Though expectations were hyped by politicos that recreational marijuana sales in Ohio would begin sometime in June, regulators have taken a different stance over the past month.

Under Ohio law approved through a November voter referendum, the application period to apply for a converted license had to open by June 7.

“As for what happens after that, it is too early to say how quickly dual-use permits will be turned around,” Jamie Crawford, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Cannabis Control (DCC), told MJBizDaily via email last month.

Primary factors, according to the DCC, include:

• Whether applications are complete.
• When inspections requirements are met.
• When point-of-sale integration is finalized.

In the interim, dozens of operators have begun ramping up hiring and product production in anticipation of serving hundreds of thousands of new customers.

Licenses must be issued by Sept. 7

Under Ohio law, converted marijuana business licenses must be issued by Sept. 7.

“The division will review applications in the order in which complete applications are received,” Crawford told MJBizDaily.

“However, to help ensure an efficient supply chain, applications from cultivators, processors, and testing laboratories will receive priority.”

Chris Casacchia can be reached at chris.casacchia@mjbizdaily.com.