As Ohio regulators certify additional marijuana growers, processors and testing labs for dual licenses to prepare for the launch of recreational cannabis sales, inspections of dispensaries have officially commenced—one of the final steps before the market can open.
The Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) has made clear that it would be prioritizing the non-dispensary license types first to ensure that the infrastructure and supply of cannabis would be sufficient to meet demand of both patients and adult consumers.
To that end, the division has issued certificates of operation for 15 growers, 15 processors and four testing labs as of Thursday morning, allowing them to work with both medical and recreational marijuana products.
But while none of the 133 dispensaries with provisional licenses have received certificates of operation yet, regulators have begun conducting inspections of certain facilities to determine whether they’ve met the enhanced standards required in order to obtain a dual license.
In order for a dispensary to secure a certification, applicants that received a provisional licenses must first prove that they’ve updated their point-of-sale technology to distinguish between medical cannabis and adult-use sales, enhance security and verify that they will be able to maintain an adequate supply for patients.
The expectation is that dispensaries that are in compliance with the updated rules could become operational imminently, though the latest they can be issued under state law is September 7.
“The state is working in order of the supply chain as they’ve begun to issue Level I and Level II operational certificates for cultivators and labs, and have started the process of inspecting dispensaries to make sure everything meets the strict regulatory requirements and is compliant,” Jason Erkes, chief communications officer of Cresco Labs, told Marijuana Moment.
Cresco is among the major cannabis companies that have secured certificates of operation for hybrid cultivator and processor licenses, as it awaits the outcome of the inspections for their dual dispensary licenses to be certified.
Here are the businesses that received the certificates of operation as of Thursday:
| BUSINESS NAME | LICENSE TYPE | CITY |
| Cresco Labs Ohio, LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level I | Yellow Springs |
| Riviera Creek Holdings LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level I | Youngstown |
| CannaMed Therapeutics LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level I | Columbus |
| HEMMA, LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level II | Monroe |
| FN Group Holdings, LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level II | Ravenna Township |
| Pure Ohio Wellness, LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level I | Springfield |
| Grow Ohio, LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level I | East Fultonham |
| GTI Ohio, LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level I | Toledo |
| OPC Cultivation, LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level I | Huron |
| Mother Grows Best, LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level II | Canton |
| Curaleaf OGT, Inc. | Dual Use Cultivator Level I | Johnstown |
| Fire Rock Cultivation Ohio, Ltd. | Dual Use Cultivator Level II | Akron |
| Farkas Farms, LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level II | Grafton |
| AT-CPC of Ohio, LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level I | Akron |
| Greenleaf Gardens LLC | Dual Use Cultivator Level I | Middlefield |
| Smithers CTS Ohio, LLC | Dual Use Testing Laboratory | Columbus |
| North Coast Testing Laboratories, LLC | Dual Use Testing Laboratory | Streetsboro |
| Pinnacle Testing and Specialty Lab | Dual Use Testing Laboratory | Akron |
| CP Labs Ohio Operating Company, LLC | Dual Use Testing Laboratory | Columbus |
| Cresco Labs Ohio, LLC | Dual Use Processor | Yellow Springs |
| Riviera Creek Holdings II, LLC | Dual Use Processor | Youngstown |
| Beneleaves Limited | Dual Use Processor | Columbus |
| Certified Cultivators Corporation | Dual Use Processor | Dayton |
| One Orijin, LLC | Dual Use Processor | Columbus |
| Grow Ohio, LLC | Dual Use Processor | East Fultonham |
| GTI Ohio, LLC | Dual Use Processor | Toledo |
| OPC Processing, LLC | Dual Use Processor | Huron |
| Pure Ohio Wellness, LLC | Dual Use Processor | Springfield |
| Mother Grows Best, LLC | Dual Use Processor | Canton |
| Purpose Leaf, LLC | Dual Use Processor | Enon |
| Hundred Percent Labs | Dual Use Processor | Mount Orab |
| AT-CPC of Ohio, LLC | Dual Use Processor | Akron |
| Fire Rock Processing Ohio, Ltd. | Dual Use Processor | Columbus |
| FN Group Holdings, LLC | Dual Use Processor | Ravenna Township |
Before opening applications, regulators released informational materials to prepare prospective applicants, outlining regulatory requirements they must satisfy in order to be eligible for the hybrid license.
“As a reminder, there will be no one singular day when sales begin,” DCC said. “We will start issuing licenses and it will be up to the retailer based on staffing, stock and other considerations as to which day they will begin sales.”
“Given the foundation already laid through the Medical Marijuana Control Program, current medical permit holders positioned to apply for dual-use status who have already undergone many of the comprehensive checks are anticipated to have a much quicker turnaround for issuance of licenses over the summer,” it said.
An FAQ posted by regulators notes that “applications from cultivators, processors, and testing laboratories will receive priority” in order to “help ensure an efficient supply chain.”
Applications for the dual licenses opened about a month after the legislature’s Joint Committee On Agency Rule Review (JCARR) gave final approval to the proposed cannabis regulations for the adult-use market under the legalization law voters passed last November.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R) doesn’t personally support legalization, but he’s repeatedly criticized the delay in access to regulated products since voters made that choice and possession became legal in December.
Legislative leaders had separately discussed putting together a bill to make various changes to the law, including expediting sales, but the plans have largely fallen apart amid disagreement within the GOP-controlled legislature.
The Senate did pass an amendment package just prior to legalization taking effect, but the House has not taken it up, nor has it moved to advance a different proposal that originate in the House. Senators also recently filed a separate bill to change various marijuana rules.
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Meanwhile, as regulators have worked to finalize regulations for the adult-use market, it already implemented a change in February that allows medical marijuana patients and caregivers to obtain or renew their registrations for only one penny. That fee was then totally eliminated with the adoption of a new rule at May’s JCARR meeting.
The fee elimination is part of an initial package of rules that DCC released in February to implement adult-use legalization.
Following voter approval of legalization at the ballot, the Department of Commerce was quick to publish an FAQ guide for residents to learn about the new law and timeline for implementation.
The governor, meanwhile, has previously pressed the legislature to enact changes to expedite recreational marijuana sales. But he’s indicated that his more immediate concern is regulating the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC.
“This is time for the legislature to move,” the governor, who also raised the issue during his State of the State address in April, said. “We can’t do it ourselves.”
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