Last week, Ohio became the most recent state to get legal recreational marijuana.
The market began with a robust 98 stores offering marijuana without needing a medical card. As seen in other states when legalization went into effect, there were long lines outside of most locations forming up as soon as doors opened.
Surprisingly, Ohio is the 7th most populous state in the country, meaning that the size of the industry is projected to be pretty big. MJBizDaily’s projections start at $1 billion for 2025, growing to between $1.5 and $2 billion by 2027. This high number (rivaling California) is due not just to the crowded and older demographic of Ohio, but also the neighboring states who don’t have legal recreational marijuana, like Pennsylvania (just medical) and Kentucky (getting medical next year).
In a lot of ways, this is a soft opening for legal weed in the state, considering some medical marijuana regulations are still in place. For now, pre-rolls are prohibited from being sold, there’s a THC cap at 70%, and flower can only be sold in increment of 1/10 of an ounce, for some reason. These limitations only mean that once they are lifted (expected within the month) Ohio dispensaries can expect another small bump in sales.
Congrats to Ohio!
Read the original story at MJBizDaily.