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Ohio’s cannabis dispensaries surpassed $10 million during earliest non-medical sales

By: Sarah Donaldson | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on: Tuesday, August 20, 2024

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — In the first week of legal non-medical cannabis sales in Ohio, dispensaries eclipsed $10 million statewide on the recreational side, according to data from the Department of Commerce’s Division of Cannabis Control.

From Tuesday through Saturday two weeks ago, dispensaries with dual-use licenses sold $11.53 million worth of products to non-medical customers 21 and older, according to data that was released Wednesday. That included more than 1,200 pounds of flower material and 173,000 units of processed products.

In the same period, medical sales totaled about $8.32 million statewide. The medical marijuana program started statewide in January 2019, and since then, sales have totaled about $1.92 billion.

Sunnyside, a chain of medical and adult-use dispensaries with locations throughout the East Coast and Midwest, has five dispensaries that have obtained dual-use licenses in Ohio. Sunnyside spokesperson Jason Erkes said its retail storefronts are now seeing double the revenue and more than double the foot traffic.

“Any way that you look at it, the sales numbers and the foot traffic put Ohio on par with established adult-use markets like Illinois,” Erkes said in an interview.

But product prices also have skyrocketed, increasing on average by $1.55 per gram of plant material—or $4.38 per tenth of an ounce, the state’s standard calculation for a daily dose—when non-medical sales started. For processed products, prices are on average $1.60 higher per unit, meaning the highest hikes are on plant products.