Columbus, OH: Nearly 100 licensed retailers began selling cannabis products on Tuesday to customers ages 21 and older.
Fifty-seven percent of Ohioans decided in favor of a November ballot measure legalizing the possession, home cultivation, and retail sale of cannabis for adults. The initiative required retail cannabis sales to begin by September 7, 2024.
“State officials are to be commended for moving this process along in a relatively expeditious manner,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “Retailers provide consumers with the option of obtaining lab-tested products in a safe, regulated environment. The sooner consumers have market access to cannabis products, the more quickly we will begin to see disruptions to the unregulated marketplace.”
Adult-use marijuana sales are anticipated to generate between $276.2 million and $403.6 million in annual tax revenue within five years.
Ohio is the 24th state to enact marijuana legalization and the 14th to do so via voter initiative.
A summary of Ohio’s adult-use legalization law is available from NORML.