Ohio’s cannabis regulator has issued licenses to four more dispensaries ahead of the expected rollout of dual medical and adult-use licenses this week.
Last month, Business of Cannabis reported that the political deadlock keeping Ohio’s adult-use cannabis rollout in limbo had finally been broken.
In mid-May, the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review gave final approval to regulations that will allow existing medical cannabis dispensaries to apply for dual-use licenses no later than June 07.
With dual-licensing applications expected to be published on the DCC website by the end of the week, the launch of four new medical cannabis dispensaries means there are now 124 potential adult-use outlets operating in the state.
While no solid date has been slated for the launch of recreational sales, they are widely expected to begin within weeks.
It comes amid a reported drop in medical cannabis sales through April, though it’s noted that April 2024 had four Saturdays compared to five in March 2024 and April 2023.
New data from the Division of Cannabis Control (DCC), published by Cleveland.com, shows that medical cannabis sales fell from $47.4m in March 2024 to $32.3m in April 2024. Sales also fell year-on-year, dropping from $46.7m in April 2023.
Sales continued to be dominated by cannabis flower, representing $19.9m in April, a fall from $25.2m in March 2024 and $24.1m in April 2023.
Oil sales also fell from $14.6m in March 2024 and April 2023 to $11.5m in April 2024, a drop also seen across edibles, capsules, tinctures and oral oil sales.
