MARIETTA, Ohio – According to the most recent figures from the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control, there have been just over $98 million in non-medical marijuana sales since they began in the state on August 6.
Erick Rodriguez, vice president of retail for the Cannabist Company, which owns the dispensary in Marietta, said the first two months of recreational sales have been exciting both for retailers and for consumers, with the 10 percent tax on sales also bringing in some strong revenue for the state.
Rodriguez said the preparations the company took in advance of recreational sales allowed them to keep up with the new market.
“We haven’t run into any supply chain issues,” he said. “It’s right as expected. We did obviously ramp up inventory right before. And we have some great partnerships with local growers amongst the state, as well as we have our own cultivation as well.”
As the business works to accommodate new recreational buyers, Rodriguez said they still give priority to medical marijuana users.
“Loyalty, right?” he said. “The medical patients have been loyal to us the last couple years, so we do prioritize our medical patients. We do check them in first if there’s a line, and then we do a two-to-one ration when it comes to medical to adult use, just to make sure that our medical patients aren’t waiting in line too long for their medicine.”
Rodriguez said he believes the accessibility of cannabis post-legalization is bringing in new customers who wouldn’t have considered it before.
“I would say a majority of our newer customers are first-time users,” he said. “Either it was recommended by a doctor or a nurse for some of their ailments and they just didn’t want to go through the getting a medical card to be able to buy it when it was medical.”
On the legal side of things, many municipalities in Ohio have passed moratoriums on recreational dispensaries.
Marietta isn’t considering a complete moratorium, although the city council is considering legislation placing some limits on dispensaries.
Council Zoning Committee Chair Bret Allphin said after the October 3 city council meeting that the legislation draws from existing city ordinances on medical marijuana.
“I felt that the regulations and rules we already had in place for citing and limiting the medical was a great place to start,” Allphin said. “It’s working well. We haven’t had any problems, so the language I offered is based on that.”
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