With recreational cannabis sales beginning across Ohio on Tuesday, non-medical adult-use products are particularly expensive.
Medical marijuana dispensary owners and others in the industry have said the astronomical costs are intended to prevent future shortages, but medical card holders have no reason to worry.
In order for existing dispensaries to begin selling marijuana for recreational purposes, plans for existing medical patients were part of the application process.
“To get this dual-use license, you have to have regulations in place to ensure that you can continue to serve medical patients. That’s why every pharmacy that is currently a dual-use pharmacy must reserve a portion of its inventory exclusively for medical patients,” said Tom Haren, spokesman for the industry association Ohio Cannabis Coalition.
Aside from inventory, dual-use pharmacies have also built in other ways to prioritize, Haren said in an interview Wednesday.
“Some pharmacies open earlier, only for medical patients. Some pharmacies have separate queues just for medical patients,” he said.
As of Tuesday, fewer than 100 dispensaries had their dual-use operating licenses, but more are expected to receive their licenses later this week, said Jamie Crawford, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Division of Cannabis Control.
These pharmacies will operate under medical program rules until the fall, which means that certain products – including pre-rolled joints or high-potency concentrates – are not yet available to everyone.
According to data from the Division of Cannabis Control on Thursday, the majority of licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in Ohio had received dual-use licenses. But Haren estimates that as many as 150 new dispensaries could appear in the next 12 months, which would lower the price of non-medical products, he said.
