Recreational Marijuana in Ohio: Process for Licensing Businesses Expected to Start in June

The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control is expecting to begin its recreational marijuana licensing process in early June, a critical step toward the state’s first legal recreational sale, which is expected not long after the state grants its first recreational license in early September.

The first batch of applications will go to each existing medical marijuana licensee beginning June 7, according to Department of Commerce. A Department of Commerce spokesperson observed they are “looking to begin awarding provisional licenses for non-medical cannabis facilities by September 7,” and recreational marijuana sales cannot legally occur until the licenses are issued and the respective facilities are certified by the division. This timeline follows the directives of the yet-to-be-altered Issue 2 statute that went into effect on Dec. 7. However, it’s ultimately a timeline that Gov. Mike DeWine and the Department of Commerce have been displeased with, given the disconnect between marijuana being legal to possess in Ohio with no legal way to procure it due to the House and Senate not enacting implementing legislation.