When I sat down with Ohio’s marijuana czar, he asked why I wanted to write about the recreational program.
Journalists love an anniversary, and Ohio recently marked one year since dispensaries opened their doors to adult-use cannabis customers. But that’s not why I think this story is important.
Ohioans voted in 2023 to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older, and the people who buy it send additional tax dollars to the state. Elected officials have spent months debating whether to change the voter-backed law. Depending who you ask, cannabis can be a livelihood, hobby, nuisance, medicine or public health threat.
Knowing that, I felt our readers deserved an in-depth look at how the program is going − and I pitched the headline “growing pains” for a reason.
Adult-use marijuana sales grew slowly over the past year, but they fell short of the industry’s expectations. Dispensary owners say they’re losing customers to stores that sell delta-8 THC, which remains unregulated. And Michigan marijuana remains far cheaper than anything you’ll find in Ohio.
Then there’s the policy side of things. Ohio lawmakers debated everything from home grow restrictions to penalizing passengers who smoke in the car. The primary marijuana and hemp bill hasn’t passed − and some controversial ideas are off the table − but Republicans plan to resume discussions later this year.
That doesn’t mean nothing has changed. The state budget axed funding for a social equity program, which aimed to provide licenses for small businesses and right the wrongs of cannabis prohibition. I previously wrote about the state’s failure to enact that piece of the law, and the funding cut was the final nail in the coffin.
Meanwhile, municipalities with dispensaries still haven’t received the tax revenue they’re owed.
Ohio’s marijuana program saw a lot of ups and downs over the past year − and I bet year two will be even more interesting.
Marijuana products are stored inside of a security cage at Zen Leaf in Cincinnati.
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@gannett.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why we wrote about Ohio recreational marijuana program
