Tuesday marked the first day for recreational marijuana sales across Ohio, nine months after voters passed Issue 2 to legalize cannabis.
Toni Savage was among the first customers who visited RISE Dispensary on Prospect Avenue in Cleveland. Savage said she's been waiting for this day, because she previously drove to Michigan several times to purchase marijuana.
“It's been a long time coming," she said. "I think we should have [already] passed this law. I mean, I think the whole world should smoke weed. It [would] be a better place.”
Tristan Calloway made the 20-minute walk from his home to Amplify dispensary in Cleveland Heights' Coventry neighborhood, where a line stretched to the end of the block.
"It's definitely just the convenience of just being able to go to a store, for sure is something that really is exciting for me," he said. "[I'm] excited to see the selections and what options I have now."
Frank Stroble, who skateboarded over to Amplify, said the ability to purchase recreational marijuana at a store in his community makes him feel more welcome.
“It feels historical. It’s so exciting. Like, this is coming from a person that grew up in the south where even one joint will get like 10 cop cars pulled up on you, so just to be here, I'm so grateful," Stroble said.
Dispensary operators are asking customers to be patient on the first day of non-medicinal sales, as they anticipate lines, packed stores and new customers.
They spent the last two months waiting on the state to move forward after it started taking applications for recreational licenses in early June.
Outside Amplify, Chris Sofie agreed that it's time for Ohio to embrace recreational marijuana.
"It's long overdue, and [Gov. Mike] DeWine should ease up and let it be. They should allow food trucks out here, and I think the police being there is a little overkill," Sofie said.
Kenneth Turner also came to RISE Tuesday morning, though he didn't express the same sense of urgency over the first day of sales.
"I was happy that it got passed. I've been waiting for this since I started smoking 20 years ago. I could wait another [few] months," he said. "...I was always able to get some weed, but now we can go to the store and get it."
Cultivators also had months to prepare. Paul Chialdikas, senior vice president and central regional leader at Curaleaf, previously said he didn't anticipate any inflated prices during the recreational rollout, and that his cultivators were expected to meet demand. Curaleaf owns and operates dispensaries in Cuyahoga Falls and Newark.
"The intent is to sustain the current inventory levels and our brands that we're currently servicing into the marketplace," he said.
Customers in line at Amplify said the quality of the products looked good, but a few had sticker shock from the prices. They said it matched what they’ve seen at other states' dispensaries, but is higher than the illegally-sold products they’ve purchased in the past.
Savage said she hopes the tax revenue from marijuana sales is invested back into the community. An Ohio State University study estimated that the state could collect between $276-$403 million in overall tax revenue within the first five years of recreational marijuana sales.
"I just hope they use all this money to make Cleveland better, just like Michigan did," Savage said.
People with medicinal cards should hang onto them, because of the additional 10% excise tax added to non-medical purchases. The state Division of Cannabis Control has rescinded registration fees for medicinal patients.
