Cannabis in Ohio

Ohio voters approved Issue 2, a citizen-initiated statute legalizing cannabis for adults 21 and older, on November 7, 2023. Licensed dispensaries started adult-use sales on August 6, 2024. The state's medical program has run since January 14, 2019. Both markets are regulated by the Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) in the Ohio Department of Commerce, and as of September 14, 2026 the DCC listed 228 dispensaries with dual-use certificates that let them serve medical patients and adult customers.

Adults may possess 2.5 ounces of plant material and 15 grams of extract. The daily purchase limit is 2.5 ounces of flower plus up to 15,000 mg of THC in other products and six seeds, clones or plants. Home growers may keep six plants per adult and no more than 12 per household, in a secure spot that cannot be seen from public places. Adult-use purchases carry a 10% excise tax plus state and local sales tax; medical purchases are exempt from the excise tax. Consumption in public places is illegal, and smoking or vaping adult-use cannabis is limited to private residential or agricultural property.

Because Issue 2 was a statute rather than a constitutional amendment, the legislature can amend it. It did so with Senate Bill 56, signed by Governor Mike DeWine on December 19, 2025, which took effect on March 20, 2026. SB 56 keeps the possession limits, home-grow limits and 10% tax. It bans intoxicating hemp products outside licensed dispensaries (anything with more than 0.4 mg total THC per container now counts as marijuana) and caps the number of dispensaries at 400. Legal and industry summaries say it also requires cannabis to stay in its original packaging, restricts where opened products can be carried in a car, and makes cannabis bought in another state illegal to possess in Ohio.

Before you buy, check the store on the DCC dispensary map and look for the Division's seal at the entrance and on each package. This page is general information, not legal advice.