Licensing process expected to start in June [Video]

The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control is expecting to begin its recreational marijuana licensing process in early June, a critical step toward the state’s first legal recreational sale, which is expected not long after the state grants its first recreational license in early September.

The first batch of applications will go to each existing medical marijuana licensee beginning June 7, according to Department of Commerce spokesperson Jamie Crawford and the initial rules proposed by the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control, which are subject to various levels of review before they’re finalized.

From there, the division will field applications from entities new to Ohio’s marijuana trade which are hoping to secure the 40 recreational cultivator licenses and 50 dispensary licenses.

Crawford noted that the division is “looking to begin awarding provisional licenses for non-medical cannabis facilities by September 7,” and told Journal-News that recreational marijuana sales cannot legally occur until the …