State’s first recreational weed dispensaries could open in early-to-mid-june

COLUMBUS — State regulators could approve the first round of recreational marijuana dispensaries within days of receiving applications, allowing the businesses to open their doors in early-to-mid-june, said state Rep. Jamie Callender, a Lake County Republican.

However, a spokesman for the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control didn’t promise dispensaries by June. The initiated statute gives the division until Sept. 7 to award licenses.

Callender is specifically talking about the roughly 130 licensed medical marijuana dispensaries that are allowed to apply for dualuse licenses to also serve Ohioans aged 21 and older under the initiated statute that Ohio voters passed in November.

Callender said the approval won’t take long because the medical dispensaries already comply with state specifications, such as rules about the businesses staying at least 500 feet from churches and schools, and their owners previously passed state inspections and demonstrated that they can comply with other Ohio marijuana laws and rules.

“The dual-use application is going to be very simple because all the tougher parts were done when they got their medical licenses,” said Callender, a longtime proponent of regulated, legal cannabis. “They already have a brick-and-mortar facility. They already proved the financial ability (state rules require owners to demonstrate they have the finances to start a business). They’ve gotten through all the local zoning.”

Callender plays a key role in the regulation of recreational marijuana. The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control is creating rules for the adult-use program, and Callender chairs a committee that reviews the rules. He said he regularly talks with Jim Canepa, the supervisor of the Division of Cannabis.

Callender’s committee is expected to approve several rules packages submitted by the Division of Cannabis Control at its May 9 meeting, including rules about dualuse licenses, he said.

The Division of Cannabis Control has proposed rules that would require it to have the applications for dual-use licenses published online no later than June 7.

But Callender notes that June 7 is a deadline. The division could put the applications online earlier, after Callender’s committee OK’S them, he said.

James Crawford, a spokesman for the Division of Cannabis Control, reiterated that the dual-use permit applications will be available to licensees no later than June 7.

“It would be inappropriate for us to engage in hypotheticals as it relates to what the final timeline might look like, since it could be accelerated in the event of legislative action,” Crawford said in an email. “It’s important to emphasize the Dewine Administration has endorsed proposed legislation that would make non-medical adult-use cannabis legal in medical dispensaries as soon as it can take effect, even if it were to occur prior to the timeline stated in the voter-initiated statute.”

When the state was standing up the medical marijuana program, regulators blew the deadline to have the program operational due to scoring of applications and awarding licenses. Callender said that today, times are different.

Callender noted that Gov. Mike Dewine has previously called on the legislature to pass a law to stand up parts of the program faster than what the initiated statute requires. Since possession of marijuana is legal, he’s concerned about the black market taking off before state-regulated businesses open their doors for recreational customers.