OHIO CANNABIS PROGRAM

Processor License – A licensed processor may do any of the following:

• Obtain marijuana from one or more licensed cultivators, processors, or retail dispensaries
• Process marijuana obtained from one or more licensed cultivators
• Deliver or sell processed marijuana to one or more licensed retail dispensaries.

Cultivator License – A licensed cultivator may do either of the following:

• Cultivate marijuana, including the acquisition of seeds or clones necessary to begin cultivation of a particular cultivar or strain of marijuana;
• Deliver or sell marijuana to one or more licensed processors or retail dispensaries.
• Level I cultivators shall be permitted to expand to a marijuana cultivation area of up to one hundred thousand square feet;
• Level II cultivators shall be permitted to expand to a marijuana cultivation area of up to fifteen thousand square feet.

The number of cultivator licenses permitted at any one time will be established by the Division of Cannabis Control based on the state’s population and the number of patients seeking medical and adult-use cannabis.

Retail Dispensary License – A licensed retail dispensary may do any of the following:

• Obtain marijuana from one or more cultivators, processors, or other retail dispensaries, if the retail dispensaries have common ownership;
• Dispense or sell marijuana and paraphernalia in accordance with division
• Dispense or sell marijuana and paraphernalia to adult consumers
• Deliver marijuana, marijuana, paraphernalia, and accessories specified in the rules adopted to registered patients and adult consumers.

No more than 400 licensed dispensaries shall be permitted to operate in the state at any one time.

Testing Laboratory License – A licensed laboratory may do both of the following:

• Test the marijuana for potency, homogeneity, and contamination;
• Prepare a report of the test results.

Following twenty-four (24) months from the first date of issuance of an adult use operator license, the division of cannabis control shall review the number of adult-use cannabis operator licenses on a biannual basis and may authorize additional licenses.

The division shall issue not less than fifteen percent of each license type to entities that are owned and controlled by United States citizens who are residents of this state and are members of one of the following economically disadvantaged groups: Blacks or African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics or Latinos, and Asians. If no applications or an insufficient number of applications are submitted by such entities that meet the conditions set forth in division C of this section, the licenses shall be issued according to usual procedures.

Ohio Medical Cannabis Cultivation – Allowed to grow medical marijuana and deliver or sell it to one or more processors.

• Level I cultivators are permitted to operate an initial marijuana cultivation area up to 25,000 square feet. The state issued 20 Level I cultivators’ provisional licenses, and 15 have been issued Certificates of operation.
• Level II cultivators are permitted to operate an initial marijuana cultivation area of 3,000 square feet. Licensees may submit an expansion request pursuant to the cultivators’ rules. The state issued 14 Level II cultivators’ provisional licenses and 12 have been issued Certificates of operation.

The current application period for cultivators is closed.

Ohio Medical Cannabis Processor – A processor manufactures medical marijuana products. There are three types of
processors

• Standalone
• Vertically integrated facilities
• Plant-only processor (cultivator who distributes plant material directly to dispensaries

The holder of a processor license may do any of the following:

• Obtain medical marijuana from one or more licensed cultivators.
• Process medical marijuana obtained from a cultivator into a form that may be dispensed.
• Deliver or sell processed medical marijuana to one or more licensed retail dispensaries.

When processing medical marijuana, a licensed processor must package it according to federal child-resistant effectiveness standards in effect in the bill’s effective date. A processor must also label the packaging with the product’s tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol content and comply with any packaging or
labeling requirements established in rules adopted by the Department of Commerce. The state issued 48 Processor provisional licenses and 30 have been issued Certificates of operation.

The current application period for processors is closed.

Ohio Medical Cannabis Dispensary – Allowed to obtain medical marijuana from one or more processors and may dispense or sell it to patients. The state issued 57 Dispensary provisional licenses and 52 have been issued Certificates of operation. The state will be issuing 73 additional dispensary licenses to accommodate the growing number of patients. Applications will be accepted from Nov 4 – 18, 2021.

Ohio Medical Cannabis Testing Labs– Allowed to obtain medical marijuana from licensed cultivators, processors, and retail dispensaries and may conduct testing on the marijuana. When testing, a licensed laboratory must test for potency, homogeneity, and contamination and prepare a report of test results. There is no limit to the number of testing lab licenses that may be awarded by the department. Testing laboratories include both universities and private labs.