Kent dispensary Bliss Ohio hopes to meet the demand for adult cannabis
Ohio's new law allowing adult recreational use of cannabis went effect Thursday, but that doesn't mean adults could immediately walk into their local dispensary and buy marijuana.
The owners of a medical marijuana dispensary in Kent hope that will be the case in the near future.
Dwayne Siekman, co-owner of Bliss Ohio, said the medical marijuana dispensary planned to apply for license to add adult cannabis to its offerings.
When the law passed, he expected it would take about six months to get a license to sell recreational marijuana to adults.
But on Wednesday, Gov. Mike DeWine said he was backing a proposal in the Ohio Senate to allow medical marijuana dispensaries to begin selling recreational weed to people 21 and older within 90 days after the bill is enacted.
Portage County has two medical marijuana dispensaries: Bliss Ohio and Supergood in Ravenna. The county also is home to a cultivation site, Wellspring Fields, and a testing site in Streetsboro.
Finding their Bliss
Siekman and his wife, Pamela, opened their dispensary in April.
Doctors can cite two dozen authorized medical conditions in referring a patient for an Ohio Medical Marijuana Card. Patients pay for the card, as well as various taxes on the products they purchase.
Under the adult cannabis law, the rules for those customers will be more simple. Customers won't need a card to buy the products; they just need to prove they are 21 and older and pay for the products, plus tax.
Lobbying for the medical program
The Seikmans have backgrounds as lobbyists, and Dwayne Siekman said he and his wife are lobbying for improvements to the medical program. Without those changes, he said, customers may find it less expensive to simply purchase recreational cannabis, instead of getting products targeted toward their medical conditions.
The Seikmans and other advocates are encouraging the state to eliminate the sales tax on medical marijuana, since no other medication is taxed.
"We want to keep our patients in Ohio, not going to other states," Siekman said.
Marijuana is still a controlled substance and cannot be transported across state lines. But that hasn't stopped patients and other consumers in Ohio from driving to Michigan to buy cannabis.
Changes likely coming to state law
Voters approved a statute last month, known as Issue 2, that allows adults 21 and older to use and grow cannabis. The measure's passage made Ohio the 24th state to legalize adult-use marijuana.
The new law took effect Thursday, but because it is an initiated statute, Ohio lawmakers spent the last week debating changes to the law approved by voters, meaning some of these rules may not be final.
Some Ohio lawmakers, for example, want to eliminate or limit growing marijuana at home.
Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery also introduced legislation that would allow local governments to ban marijuana use or home growing.
Streetsboro's Planning Commission recently discussed changes to the city's zoning code that could limit where such dispensaries could locate.
Seikman said he's aware that the law could be changed and is keeping an eye on what changes come out of Columbus.
Meanwhile, things have been quiet at Bliss Ohio, which caters to a steady number of patients each day.
It's not easy for the public to see those patients, who park behind the store. Many products are sold online and curbside.
"One of our goals was to be a good community neighbor," he said.
The USA TODAY Ohio state bureau contributed to this report. Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent dispensary Bliss Ohio hopes to meet the demand for adult cannabis
