Ohio marijuana regulators are limiting the number of cannabis stores allowed in the state’s three largest cities.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, the state Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) recently approved 121 additional applications for retailers while also ruling that 47 of them cannot be in Franklin, Cuyahoga or Hamilton counties.
Those are the jurisdictions for Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati, respectively.
The DCC ruled that those areas already have sufficient retail, the Dispatch reported.
Meanwhile, the 121 new permits are on top of the existing 123 medical marijuana dispensaries in the state that started selling adult-use products on Aug. 6.
They’re part of the state’s so-called “10(B) license” program in which existing licensed growers and certain licensed retailers can apply for approval to open more stores.
According to the Dispatch, more than half of the 121 stores cleared for approval are in Franklin, Cuyahoga and Hamilton counties.
Those areas have a total of 28 active cannabis stores, the Dispatch noted.
Though Sept. 3, the most recent data available, Ohio retailers reported $44 million in “non-medical” sales, according to the DCC.
In the days after Ohio’s adult-use launch, retailers experienced a threefold increase in revenue.
The agency’s limit on retail outlets allowed in the state’s biggest metro areas is separate from local controls, in which municipal governments limit the number of licensees allowed by law.
According to a recent analysis, Ohio has fewer local license caps than states such as Michigan and New York.
