Dual-use dispensaries balance new customers, medical patients

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Now that Ohioans can purchase non-medical use marijuana, some dual-use dispensaries are balancing an influx of customers while making sure medical patients remain a priority.

Mandy Morton, co-owner of Local's Dispensary, notes they have seen an increase in customers over the past few weeks.

“We're seeing like four times the amount of people that we were seeing, maybe more than we were before,”  Morton said.

Although they feel they were prepared for this surge in clients, Morton said they have had to adjust how they handle business in certain areas.   

“Before we were restocking depending on the vendor maybe once every two weeks and now it's weekly and much higher quantities,” Morton said.  

Also top of mind is making sure medical marijuana patients are still a prime concern. Brooklyn Wooten, manager at Locals Dispensary, said they are doing everything they can to keep a safe program in place for those patients.  

“So, we make it our mission to put medical patients first, especially here,” Wooten said. “So, no matter how busy we are, no matter how influx of customers we're seeing, we have it posted everywhere so everybody can know that med patients are priority.” 

As these dispensaries continue to learn how to navigate this new territory, they remain hopeful to have more of a say when it comes to what is acceptable. Manager Nilendu Singh of Nar Reserve believes this is only the beginning, hoping for new rules from the state to further what dispensaries can do as business leaders.    

“My hope is that the initial bill that was passed ... starts rolling out more,” Singh said. “The advertising restrictions ease up a little bit, We start seeing some of those higher percentage items that they were talking about in that bill, like 90% concentrates, and eventually we'll get, you know, maybe pre-rolls and all that fun stuff, too.” 

New rules regarding the sale of pre-rolls for non-medical marijuana are set to take effect by Sept. 7 according to the Division of Cannabis Control.