COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Recreational marijuana use is legal next week for people 21 and older in Ohio, but that doesn’t mean they can go purchase marijuana from a dispensary without a medical marijuana card.
“Implementing this program quickly is really the best thing for Ohioans,” said Jeff McCourt, CEO and founder of Firelands Scientific and The Landing Dispensary.
McCourt’s company owns five dispensaries in the state, including one in Franklinton.
“Ohio really benefits from having a thoroughly regulated, tested, taxed, safe product already available to medical patients throughout the state,” he said.
McCourt is expecting a smooth expansion into recreational use.
“We’re ready in terms of all of the security regulations, the compliance regulations, testing, the tax mechanisms, all of these things are all pretty much set up already off the backbone of the medical program,” McCourt said.
Still, it could take months or years before people can walk into a dispensary and purchase marijuana for recreational use.
A division in the Department of Commerce first has to set regulations and create the licensing process.
Having the regulated program up and running as quickly as possible, it’s really important to make sure that some of the downsides don’t come, you know, the genie doesn’t come out of