Rules Proposed For Opening Of New Cannabis Dispensaries In Ohio

CLEVELAND, OH – Officials in Ohio are taking the next steps in the process of launching recreational marijuana sales in the state.

WBNS reports the state’s Division of Cannabis Control has introduced new regulations for dispensaries to adhere to in order to receive their licenses.

The first licenses are expected to be issued in June to facilities that are existing medical dispensaries, with non-medical facilities expected to be operating in September.

Ohio voters approved a measure legalizing marijuana that went into effect last December, but the state has yet to establish the framework for consumers to purchase weed.

The state DCC has now proposed 13 new rules for marijuana sales in order to implement the new law.  They include:

-All dispensaries must be 500 feet away from any library, park, playground, school or church.  They can only stay open until 11 p.m.

-No dispensary owner can “own, control, or have financial interest in” more than one weed processor, one cultivator or more than eight separate dispensaries.

-The Division of Cannabis Control must get an accountability chart of every dispensary employee, along with records of their connections to any prior employment in the marijuana industry.

-Everyone entering an adult-use dispensary must show ID, be 21 or over, and will be “escorted and monitored by an assigned registered employee at all times.”

-Businesses will be required to dispose of all unwanted, outdated, excess, or deteriorated cannabis under video surveillance. The cannabis being removed needs to be weighed and recorded for the state’s seed-to-sale tracking system.

One dispensary owner in Columbus said he was glad to see the state moving forward in the legalization process.

“We are really excited to see how quickly and thoughtfully the Division of Cannabis Control is moving to implement what the voters approved in Issue 2,” said Jeff McCourt, CEO of Firelands Scientfic. “There is a lot of work Jim Canepa, the new director, and his team are doing. [It’s] a tremendous amount of work to put together the rule sets we see, and it looks like they are moving deliberately to get the program up and running as soon as possible for adult use consumers.”

The DCC is seeking feedback on its proposed rules, and said any public comment can be e-mailed by April 17.

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