CINCINNATI — Signifying another high point for Ohio's budding cannabis industry, Wednesday marked one year since the sale of recreational marijuana began in the Buckeye State.
For those within the industry, like Bri Trent, business has been slowly but steadily climbing.
"It's beautiful, like watching a plant blossom," said Trent, the general manager of Terrasana Dispensary in Middletown. "I think the community is really receptive to us being here, and I do believe it's moving. Everybody's excited to have these new opportunities to come in and get to ask questions."
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Since the dispensary opened in April, Trent said, the number of daily recreational customers has grown from about 20 per day to more than 100 on weekdays and nearly 200 on weekends.
"I'd like to see that number grow," Trent said. "I'd like to see it continue to double for a while."
Recreational, or adult-use, cannabis sales in Ohio surpassed $702 million in their first year, according to the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control (DCC). And, with a special 10% tax in place for every adult-use purchase, that means Ohio has received more than $70 million in cannabis excise taxes.
"We've seen sales go [up] about two times what they were in the medical (marijuana) side of things," said Caveh Azadeh, co-owner of Cincinnati cultivator King City Gardens.
Azadeh, who also co-founded The Garden dispensary, said the state will allow dispensaries to sell pre-rolled joints in the very near future, bringing a potential boost to business.
"(In) a lot of markets, it represents about 15 to 20% of the overall sales, so the fact that Ohio has not been able to sell that in the last year has definitely had an impact in a negative way," he said.
When we asked Trent about the prospect of selling pre-rolled joints, she said, "It's going to be insane."
"It's going to be wild. I think it's going to also just open up the convenience of coming in here and not having to commit to buying something of a larger size, or spend extra money on things that you might not find useful," she said.
According to state data, as of Aug. 2, medical and non-medical cannabis sales have topped a combined $2.9 billion in the state of Ohio.
"As Ohio’s cannabis market continues to grow and mature, the division’s top priority remains the safe and legal sale and regulation of both medical and non-medical cannabis for Ohioans who choose to use them," a DCC spokesperson said in a statement. "In addition, the division is committed to ensuring the protection of children and the general public, as well as supporting an equitable and fair marketplace for all our licensees."
