State regulators have fined several Ohio marijuana businesses for violating advertising rules, including accusing a dispensary of offering free treats from an ice cream truck and advertising online with the slogan “Can you get me high?”
Five marijuana businesses, including one with a dispensary in Butler County, face a potential total of $212,500 in fines from the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control and have agreed to pay $12,500 each, for a total of $62,500.
Greenleaf Apothecaries, the parent company of The Botanist pharmacies, has the opportunity to contest the payment of the remaining $150,000 at a hearing.
“The department has initiated enforcement actions against several licensees who have violated the program advertising rules,” said department spokesman Jamie Crawford. “All licensees are fully aware that they must comply with the medical advertising rules, and violations of this policy are taken seriously. The department continues to monitor licensees’ compliance with all program rules to ensure a level playing field for all licensees.”
127 OH, which operates under the name Bloom Medicinals, agrees to pay a fine of $12,500
127 OH, which does business as Bloom Medicinals, operates marijuana dispensaries in Akron, Columbus, Maumee, Painesville and Seven Mile.
On or about June 19, state regulators discovered a sign that 127 OH had placed at the company’s Seven Mile dispensary advertising “Bloom Medical Marijuana.” The sign, which was not attached to the dispensary, was larger than 16 by 18 inches, in violation of industry rules, and was not pre-approved by the department.
DCC imposed a penalty of $12,500 on 127 OH, which the company agreed to pay.
A representative for Bloom Medicinals was not immediately available for comment.
Greenleaf Apothecaries and The Botanist have to pay a fine after setting up an ice cream truck and violating other rules
State regulators plan to impose a $150,000 civil penalty for three separate alleged violations by Greenleaf Apothecaries, which operates under the name The Botanist in the Ohio cities of Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Columbus and Wickliffe. However, the company, which is part of a larger conglomerate called Acreage Holdings that operates in multiple states, can request a hearing to present its case.
The department intends to impose civil penalties of $50,000 for each of the following alleged violations by the company on August 6, the first day of legal recreational marijuana sales in Ohio:
- Distribution of food and drinks from an ice cream truck in alleged violation of regulatory guidelines.
- According to regulators, the posting of “free ice cream” on social media was not coordinated in advance with the department, as required by industry regulations.
- Posting exterior signs that were larger than 16″ x 18″ and were not attached to the pharmacy’s permanent structure, allegedly a violation of industry rules.
A representative of Greenleaf Apothecaries provided the following written statement to the Beacon Journal: “We are grateful for the opportunity to be one of the few operators in Ohio serving non-medical cannabis consumers in Ohio at five dispensaries. We also value our close working relationship with the Division of Cannabis Control and take our commitment to operate in accordance with state regulations seriously. We look forward to working with the Division to find a resolution as we continue to serve non-medical consumers at our Botanist dispensaries in Akron, Canton, Wickliffe, Cleveland and Columbus.”
Greenleaf Apothecaries agrees to pay a separate penalty of $12,500
Regulators also fined Greenleaf Apothecaries $12,500 for online advertising and menus with the headline “Can you take me higher?” during or around the month of June. The company agreed to pay that fine.
Greenleaf Apothecaries has not submitted the statement to regulators for pre-approval as required by industry regulations.
Green Thumb Industries, operator of Rise Dispensaries, agrees to pay a fine of $12,500
Green Thumb Industries operates dispensaries in Cleveland, Lakewood, Lorain and Toledo in Ohio.
The company sent an email to some medical marijuana patients on June 6, noting that it would be expanding its hours on June 10 and that “Rise Ohio locations will be open to recreational and medical customers during the following hours: June 10 and thereafter: 7:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.”
The email was not pre-approved by DCC and the company has confirmed that it was sent in error.
Green Thumb Industries agreed to pay the department a fine of $12,500.
Green Thumb Industries was not immediately available for comment.
Standard Farms agrees to pay a fine of $12,500
Standard Farms, a marijuana processor with operations in Garfield Heights, Ohio, agreed to pay a $12,500 fine for sending an email in early July that said the company had received a “dual-use license approval for recreational sales and adult use,” and included the statement “some highlights below!”
However, Standard Farms did not have a license to process recreational marijuana at the time and did not receive approval from state regulators for the declaration. The company has since received a license to operate from the department.
A media representative for Standard Farms’ parent company, TILT Holdings, declined to comment.
Guaranteed Investments OH, doing business as Guaranteed Dispensary, agrees to pay a fine of $12,500
Guaranteed Investments OH operates a guaranteed dispensary in Dayton.
On or about June 17, state regulators saw that the pharmacy’s website described its business as a “recreational and medical dispensary,” even though the company did not have an operating license to sell to adults at the time and did not submit the statement to regulators for pre-approval. Guaranteed Investments OH agreed to pay a $12,500 penalty.
Representatives of Guaranteed Investments OH were not immediately available for comment.
Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. Reach him via email at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @pwilliamsOH.
