Sales of recreational marijuana began at Ohio’s existing 127 dual-use dispensaries on Aug. 6, with the state’s Division of Cannabis Control approving 117 new retail licenses while capping storefronts in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.
The slow pace of Ohio’s rollout has led to inflated prices in the early-going.
Based on data from the DCC website, the average price for a tenth of an ounce of flower is $21.65, meaning customers are paying over $210 for an ounce of product. As a point of comparison, the average cost of an ounce of dried cannabis flower in long-time recreational hotbed Michigan is about $80. Then there’s Pennsylvania, which ranges in price from $350-$500 per ounce.
Ohio’s prices will be subject to change once more dispensaries come online, noted cannabis entrepreneurs and executives interviewed by Scene. Andy Rayburn, owner of Eastlake cultivator and processor Buckeye Relief, said high pricing in the fall – about $250 per ounce – could be attributed to a forecasted shortage in cannabis flower that never materialized.