CLEVELAND — The recreational marijuana industry has just cleared another major hurdle.
Licensed dispensaries can now sell pre-rolled joints statewide here in Ohio.
It comes following a somewhat complicated rollout of recreational marijuana after it was officially legalized.
While some folks were under the impression this was already a thing, the sale of pre-rolls is brand new for area dispensaries.
Industry insiders say the availability of the product could help slower sales surge in some places, as there has been such an overwhelming interest by users.
"We see in other more mature recreational or adult use- state regulated markets that pre-rolls are a huge skew by volume. They dwarf a lot of the other popular product types in terms of the amount of other sales generated. Very popular with adult use consumers though," Pete Nischt, Vice President of Compliance and Communications for Klutch Cannabis, said.
The official sale of prerolls officially starts a year after Ohio dispensaries started selling recreational marijuana.
The Division of Cannabis Control introduced guidelines for prerolls back on August 1.
However, licensed dispensaries still needed approval to sell the product.
Not every local dispensary has them yet. Some are saying it may take a few weeks or months to get the necessary inventory once the all-clear is given by The Division of Cannabis Control.
The results so far have been mixed, with instant sell-outs at some locations and slower sales at others, as people are still learning about the availability.
Prior to this, dispensaries reported they were being asked by customers if they sold pre-rolls at least ten times a day.
Sales are expected to grow over time.
Officials say it's important to consider though, that many users were still traveling to Michigan to buy cheaper marijuana.
However, it is illegal to transport it across state lines.
Locally—Amplify Dispensary is selling pre-rolls at its Bedford and Cleveland Heights locations.
"People were wondering where they were from day one... It was just the way the program was—we didn't have them. So to have them now was pretty surreal," Sage Graham, Director of Operations for Amplify Dispensaries, said.
Klutch Cannabis is also preparing for a possible surge in sales as it gets the final approval from the Division of Cannabis Control in the very near future.
"We have really been ready to go here for awhile, and so this is another step we can take in order to finally deliver on the promises of Issue 2. Open up the market a little more, reach out to more consumers, compete with these other sources of cannabis," Nischt said.
Prerolls will be available to both adult recreational users and medicinal users.
However, you won't be seeing advertisements or marketing of the products, as strict regulations prohibit dispensaries from doing so.
News 5 will track the sales over time and follow through with the latest information.
