Ohio marijuana dispensaries generated more than $11.5 million in revenue from recreational marijuana sales during the week ending Aug. 9, and prices shot up dramatically during the first week that nonmedical cannabis was sold legally in the state, according to figures released Wednesday by Ohio’s Division of Cannabis Control.
In total, Ohio dispensaries sold 1,285 pounds of marijuana flower and 173,043 units of other products such as edibles and topical ointments for non-medical use, generating total revenue of $11,530,708, state regulators reported. Sales of medical marijuana brought in another $8.3 million.
Meanwhile, the average price for an ounce of flower – dried cannabis plant material – rose about 20% last week to $266 an ounce, compared to $222 an ounce the previous week, according to figures from the Division of Cannabis Control.
On August 6 – the first day recreational cannabis sales were allowed in Ohio – 98 dispensaries received dual-use certificates issued by the state to sell both medical and non-medical cannabis. Another 18 dispensaries received dual-use certificates by Thursday.
“It hasn’t let up”
All four Canton dispensaries – The Botanist, Zen Leaf, The Citizen by Klutch and the Ohio Cannabis Co. – began selling recreational cannabis on August 6. Each store had at least a dozen people in line when they opened, and there was a steady stream of customers throughout the morning.
Customers’ opinions on the prices varied. Some told The Canton Repository they thought the prices were reasonable, while others compared them to cheaper prices in Michigan.
“Ohioans were clearly ready and excited for the historic end of cannabis prohibition in the Buckeye State: Since adult-use sales began, customer traffic and transactions at all five Zen Leaf dispensaries across the state have already increased two to three times compared to previous medical-only operations, and we expect to continue to see brisk activity in our stores and through third-party wholesale sales of our products for the foreseeable future,” said Trip McDermott, Verano’s chief operating officer, in a prepared statement.
Pete Nischt, vice president of compliance and communications at Klutch Cannabis, said there has been a “significant increase” in the number of customers since the Canton and Lorain dispensaries began selling non-medical products.
“Of course there was a rush in the first few days, but it hasn’t really let up,” he said.
The response has been affirming and shows that allowing recreational sales is about providing safe, legal access to cannabis, Nischt said. Everything has been running smoothly at Klutch’s dispensaries and he is looking forward to the future and to participating communities benefiting more directly from the tax revenue.
“I think people in the industry feel like this is kind of the big leagues,” he said. “And I know our employees, all of us, were extremely excited to see how this would turn out. And I think the best part is that the people who are shopping are just as excited.”
Ohio’s marijuana milestone: Canton customers celebrate the first day of leisure sales
Compared to early sales of recreational marijuana in other states, sales in Ohio are favorable, said Jason Erkes of Chicago-based Cresco Labs, which owns the Sunnyside dispensary in Columbia Township, where one of the state’s first sales of recreational marijuana took place.
“Any way you look at it, Ohio has seen incredible results in its first week of sales, comparable to or even exceeding sales of other adult-use product launches, such as those in Illinois,” Erkes said.
According to a CNN report, nearly $11 million worth of recreational marijuana was sold in Illinois during the first week that recreational cannabis use was legalized in the state in 2020.
