These 98 dispensaries to be authorized to sell recreational marijuana

By Emily Sanderson

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    CINCINNATI, Ohio (WLWT) — A big change for Ohioans, adults over 21 years old will be able to buy marijuana without a medical card starting Tuesday.

The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control is issuing its first set of dual-use Certificates of Operation to 98 eligible dispensaries across the state Tuesday.

Sunnyside, a dispensary in Columbia Township, is just one of several dispensaries in the Cincinnati-area that received the dual-license, meaning it can sell medical and recreational cannabis and will receive their operational license.

The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control said once a dispensary receives its COO, they can legally sell non-medical cannabis in addition to medical cannabis.

They said getting the COO doesn’t mean they can start selling immediately, as each dispensary needs to determine when they will start sales based on factors including staffing and stock.

The state issued the COO based roughly on the order dispensaries completed applications and compliance process.

The division said it plans to award COOs to all remaining eligible dispensaries later this week.

“A big reason we were able to get to this point ahead of the Sept. 7 deadline was due to the foundation laid through the state’s existing Medical Marijuana Control Program,” DCC Superintendent James Canepa said in a statement. “Since existing licensees had already met stringent requirements of that program, we anticipated this process to be rather smooth. They had already undergone many of the comprehensive checks as part of that process.”

Cincinnati-area dispensaries that are receiving their COO include:

The Forest Cincinnati – 4412 Mt. Carmel Tobasco Road The Landing Dispensary – 4029 Smith Road Beyond Hello – 693 Old State Route 74 Queen City Cannabis Medical Dispensary of Cincinnati – 3764 Montgomery Road Sunnyside – 5149 Kennedy Avenue Zen Leaf Cincinnati – 8420 Vine Street Nectar – 3405 Werk Road OPA – 830 Reedy Street Verilife – 5431 Ridge Avenue Columbia Care – 300 N Main Street Uplift – 101 Mercy Boulevard Uplift – 401 Rivers Edge Drive The Landing Dispensary – 1312 Hamilton-Lebanon Road AYR Dispensary – Goshen – 6722 OH-132 Verilife – 1098 N High Street A list of dispensaries that will receive their COO Tuesday can be found here.

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