Medical marijuana sales climb during pandemic

Ohio’s medical marijuana industry had its best two months yet in March and April, which industry officials say is a result of the new coronavirus and recent changes to the program.

Sales reached $12.9 million during four weeks in March and $14.2 million over four weeks in April, according to state reports. That’s a significant increase compared to $10.7 million in sales in

February and $9.6 million over four weeks in January.

Dispensaries say early to midMarch sales spikes were driven by a desire to “stock up” amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Remember the run on toilet paper? Medical marijuana was in the same vein, and it was “essential” in Ohio’s public health orders.

“Early to mid-March sales spikes were driven a little bit out of uncertainty in the sense of who’s going to be permitted? What’s going to remain on the shelves?” said Todd Yaross, founder and CEO of Terrasana Cannabis Co., which owns four Ohio dispensaries. “Not just in a cannabis sense but all essential items.”

Allison Ranieri, who treats PTSD with medical marijuana, said she bought more products than usual after the state closed schools and other businesses.

“I had an inherent fear of is this going to remain an essential business?” Ranieri said. “Fortunately, it was an essential business and that has been amazing for me.”

Sales dropped to prepandemic levels in the weeks after Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order. They increased again in midApril, after a policy change that made calculating a patient’s purchase limit easier.

Sales have steadily climbed since most of Ohio’s 58 dispensaries came online last summer. But patients and marijuana business operators complained about the complex way Ohio restricted marijuana purchases.