HUBBARD, Ohio – Ohioans bought more than $143 million worth of marijuana in the first three months it’s been available for adult use. Hubbard was one of the places where you could buy it — only if you had a medical card. On election night, voters lifted that ban.

ACA Dispensary opened in December. It’s been selling medical marijuana. Now, it’s preparing to sell to all people of legal age.

We’ve had tons of phone calls this morning. There’s been numerous people that have already pulled in to shop, which we’re not able to do at this moment,” said owner Dustin Crites.

It will still take some time for final state approval. Crites expects that to be about three weeks.

When Ohio approved marijuana for adult use sales starting in August, it slowly clipped medical sales. ACA Dispensary wanted a dual license but Hubbard blocked it. Over 100 places across Ohio did the same.

The issue went to the ballot in Hubbard and voters spoke. Now, ACA can sell marijuana for recreational use, along with medical use. There are over 100 dual-use dispensaries in Ohio.

“We believe that this is going to be a big tipping point for our business here, plus for the city of Hubbard. We’re ready to make some big waves here to help the community and grow this,” Crites said.

ACA Dispensary still has a decent group of patients who want marijuana for medical reasons, but it wanted the dual-use license to reach a different crowd. Crites feels marijuana sales can lead to job creation, tax revenue and more customer traffic in Hubbard, benefiting other businesses. He’s excited that Hubbard is ready to turn a new leaf.

“We wanted to be here. We’re happy to be here. We’re happy to stay, and we’re happy to work hand in hand with the community to make it a better situation,” Crites said.

Paperwork for the dispensary has been filed with the Ohio Department of Commerce, and ACA could start adult-use sales in about two to three weeks.