Recreational marijuana sales can begin at about 100 dispensaries in Ohio, including two in Bowling Green, though it’s up to the individual dispensaries to decide when to actually begin sales.

According to the Ohio Department of Commerce, both dispensaries in Bowling Green (Zenleaf at 1155 North Main Street and Nectar at 1011 South Main Street) have been approved as “dual use” dispensaries, meaning they can sell marijuana for both medical and recreational use. They are the only two approved dispensaries in Wood County. The two closest dual use dispensaries outside of Wood County are Terrasana in Fremont and Rise in Toledo.

According to WTOL, Nectar began selling this morning.

“We’re excited for the morning,” Nectar Manager Zach Gergich told WTOL. “We’ve been staffing, training and purchasing a lot (of product), so we’re definitely not going to run out.”

About 55% of Ohioans voted in November of 2023 to legalize the sale and use of recreational marijuana and today the state Division of Cannabis Control issued certificates of operation to 98 businesses, which was the last regulatory hurdle. When dispensaries open for recreational sales, expect a low-key beginning as the Dayton Daily News reports “state guidelines forbid free samples, outdoor ribbon cuttings, food, music and unapproved signs and decor.”

Some of the basics, according to Axios Columbus:

• Buyers must be at least 21, with an ID
• Some dispensaries may only accept cash while offering an ATM on site, and there will be limits on transactions
• Until new non-medical rules are finalized next month, only products already legal under Ohio’s medical marijuana program will be available, which means items such as pre-rolled joints or seeds will not immediately be available
• Separately, anyone 21 and older can have up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis in most forms in their possession and grow as many as six plants at home