The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) has announced that they will issue its first set of dual-use Certificates of Operation (COO) to 98 eligible dispensaries across the state tomorrow, August 6, allowing them to sell recreational marijuana.
This comes more than a month in advance of the September 7 deadline as outlined in the initiated statute passed by Ohio voters in November 2023.
“Once an entity has received its COO, it is legally authorized to begin the sale of non-medical cannabis in addition to medical cannabis”, states a press release sent today by the COO.
The issuance of COOs is based on roughly the order in which completed applications were received by the Division and when compliance asks were fulfilled. To help ensure a fair and equitable rollout of the non-medical cannabis market in Ohio, the Division intends to award COOs to all remaining eligible dispensaries later this week.
If a particular entity is not awarded a COO, it is likely the result of an incomplete application submitted by the applicant. The Division will work with applicants to resolve those issues.
“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,” said DCC Superintendent James Canepa. “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.”
In order to receive a Certificate of Operation, dispensaries must show they are able to properly process adult use and medical sales since there’s a tax consideration. In addition, licensees must validate that their security systems meet legal requirements and agree they will ensure as much as possible inventory remains available for medical patients. They also must validate employee training and have implemented updated employee badging.
After a COO has been issued, the Division will publish that information on its website to ensure it is made available to the public in an equitable manner, similar to the approach taken for entities participating in the state’s Medical Marijuana Control Program. That map is available here and will continue to be updated as COOs are issued.
“As the non-medical cannabis market opens, the Division will continue to review and approve those 10(B) dispensary, or bonus licenses, for which eligible licensees have been able to apply with regard to additional locations,” Canepa said. “Since those additional sites will take time to construct, inspect and receive Certificates of Operation, we anticipate that, over the coming months and years, those 10(B) dispensaries will become operational. As required by the initiated statute, come September 2026, the Division will evaluate demand and access data to determine incremental growth and locations for additional licensees in the state. Our Division is committed to continuing our work in developing and proposing rules to help ensure the cannabis industry in Ohio remains safe and secure.”
The DCC states that “the issuance of COOs does not necessarily mean non-medical sales will begin immediately at every dispensary, as each licensee must determine when they will start sales based on factors including staffing, stock and other business considerations.” However, it’s widely expected that most if not all of the 98 dispensaries receiving licenses will begin recreational marijuana sales tomorrow.
For additional information about the non-medical program, visit the division’s FAQ: Non-Medical Cannabis FAQ | Ohio Department of Commerce
A list of dispensaries that will receive their COO tomorrow can be found here.
