Ohio DCC publishes new license application documents earlier than expected

Ohio marijuana regulators are moving a bit quicker than expected to get the state’s new recreational cannabis market rolling, and on Tuesday made available documentation for the state’s new dual-licensing structure several days before they were anticipated.

The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control published the documentation on its website yesterday, Fox 8 reported, and existing medical dispensaries will need to get their completed applications filed on Friday if they want to be among the first to serve recreational customers.

“Just today, we had new applications published by the DCC. They had what they needed to publish the documents ahead of schedule so people could gather what they needed and prepare,” Pete Nischt with Klutch Cannabis in Akron told Fox 8.

“This is really exciting. This is what we were waiting for,” Nischt said.

The DCC will formally begin accepting applications on June 7, and regulators are required to approve or deny applications by Sept. 7.

Adult-use cannabis sales could begin as soon as Saturday, regulators have said previously, though some industry watchers see July 1 as a more realistic date.

According to the DCC website, the agency plans to issue “40 level III cultivator licenses and 50 dispensary licenses with a preference to certified participants in the Cannabis Social Equity and Jobs Program,” along with permits to existing medical marijuana companies.

“Each current medical marijuana level I cultivator will receive three dispensary licenses, while current medical marijuana level II cultivators will receive one dispensary license,” according to the site.