Ohio
Slow burn — Ohio recreational marijuana dispensaries on way to sales
COLUMBUS, Ohio — More than 100 dispensaries in Ohio are on their way to selling recreational marijuana. This comes after sales were anticipated to start in June.
The Division of Cannabis Control has given provisional licenses to 110 dispensaries so they can sell both medically and recreationally once they receive final approval.
Of the 110, Northeast Ohio has 36. Southwest Ohio has 29, and Central Ohio has 18. Franklin County has the most with 12, Cuyahoga with 11 and Hamilton with nine.
Click here to learn which facilities have a provisional license.
License applications must be approved or denied by Sept. 7, but the state and policymakers have continued to say that applications could be granted and recreational sales could happen by mid-June.
The passage of Issue 2 allowed adults 21 years of age and older to smoke, vape and ingest weed. Individual Ohioans are able to grow up to six plants with up to 12 per household. Click here to learn more about what the law entails.
High hopes for marijuana to hit store shelves sooner this summer
High hopes for marijuana to hit store shelves sooner this summer
Ohio Cannabis Coalition’s Tom Haren is staying positive despite the delayed start date.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Haren said. “There is a lot of work that needed to get done.”
Consumers haven’t been able to buy weed legally because there is a process that takes place between getting a provisional license and getting a license with a certificate of operation.
The state has a list of requirements that shops need to meet, such as keeping visitor logs, having curbside and drive-through pickup and utilizing surveillance systems. Dispensaries will also have to demonstrate they can keep inventory aside to make sure medical patients continue having preferred access. Sellers will also have to do a test sale to a medical patient and a recreational consumer, among dozens of other tasks and evaluations.
“We’ve been going on a hiring blitz, of course, making sure that we’re staffed up,” Brandon Nemec with Verilife said.
But Gov. Mike DeWine wants more regulations.
“We have a problem of walking down the street with your five-year-old and there is marijuana smoke,” DeWine said in late June.
He has been asking for lawmakers to deal with his safety concerns for months.
The Senate has passed and proposed various changes to the law — like a restriction or ban on public smoking. However, it would limit home grow, reduce THC levels and ban the vast majority of vapes — among dozens of other restrictions and changes to what the voters chose.
House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) has been blocking it, and dispensaries support him.
“Honoring the will of the voters is very important,” Stephens said in late June. “That part has been done — this was passed in November and it’s still the law of the land.”
The lawmakers in both chambers allegedly agree that they want to put more stringent guidelines on advertising, but they can’t agree on the vehicle. The House wants a clean version of a bill — meaning they don’t want the Senate to “go against the will of the people,” which is what House leaders say the other chamber is doing.
The Senate leaders have argued that the citizens didn’t actually know what they were voting for, and they don’t actually want or need to be able to grow six plants as an individual or up to 12 plants per household.
In their most recent move, the Senate proposed S.B. 278, a bill that would ban all public smoking or vaping, but they didn’t reduce the home grow amount this time. House leaders, specifically marijuana enthusiast state Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord), said a public ban would not be happening under his watch.
The House and the Senate both proposed ideas, and their leaders have been arguing about whose policy is better for the state, which in turn has kept marijuana off the shelves despite being passed in Nov. and going into effect in Dec. 2023.
Republican squabbling keeps marijuana off shelves months after legalization
Republican squabbling keeps marijuana off shelves months after legalization
Even though sales didn’t happen as hoped in June, Haren said Cannabis Control is still ahead of schedule. Technically, they have until Sept. to issue the first batch of licenses.
“We’re very encouraged that we are a matter of weeks away from Ohioans being able to purchase legal, regulated, taxed, tested, adult-use marijuana products right here in the Buckeye State,” Haren added.
There will likely be no changes to marijuana policy until the end of the year since the chambers are in summer recess until after the Nov. election.
Here is a list of provisionally licensed facilities in Northeast Ohio:
Cuyahoga Co.
- Amplify Bedford: 22803 Rockside Rd, Bedford
- Amplify CH: 1782 Coventry Rd, Cleveland Heights
- Cannavitz Ventures LLC: 13501 Lakewood Heights Blvd, Cleveland
- Green Power OH: 13429 Lakewood Heights Blvd, Cleveland
- Good Day Dispensary, LLC: 34480 Vine Street, Lake
- GTI Ohio, LLC: 11818 Madison Ave, Lakewood
- GTI Ohio, LLC: 1222 Prospect Ave E, Cleveland
- GTI Ohio, LLC: 18607 Detroit Ave, Lakewood
- Nectar Markets of Ohio, LLC: 1100 Saint Clair Ave, Euclid
- OPC Retail II, LLC: 1978 W 3rd St, Cleveland
- Twice The Wellness, LLC: 27900 Chagrin Boulevard, Woodmere
Summit
- Greenleaf Apothecaries: 46 South Summit St., Akron
- FRX Health of Cuyahoga Falls: 1682 State Rd., Cuyahoga Falls
- 127 OH: 737 East North St., Akron
- Culture Retail Partners of Ohio, Inc.: 1568 E Archwood Ave., Akron
- Curaleaf Cuyahoga Falls: 1220 Buchholzer Blvd Ste. C, Cuyahoga Falls
Lorain
- CREAM Apothecaries Ohio LLC: 914 Cleveland St., Elyria
- GTI Ohio: 1920 Cooper Foster Park Rd. W, Lorain
- NMG OH 1: 709 Sugar Ln., Elyria
- Citizen Real Estate: 5152 Grove Ave., Lorain
Stark
- Citizen Real Estate, LLC: 401 Cherry Ave. NE, Canton
- Mother Know’s Best, LLC: 3224 Cleveland Ave. NW, Canton
- The Green Goat Dispensary, LLC: 4016 Greentree Ave. SW, Canton
Erie, Sandusky-area
- Ohio Patient Access, LLC: 6019 Milan Rd., Sandusky
- OPC Retail, LLC: 2344 University Dr. E, Huron
- The Forst Sandusky, LLC: 5020 Milan Rd., Sandusky
Lake
- 127 OH, LLC: 382 Blackbrook Rd., Painesville
- INSA Ohio, LLC: 27751 Chardon Rd., Willoughby Hills
Portage
- Next-Level Operators, LLC: 331 E. Main St., Kent
- Simple AG Ohio, LLC: 554 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna
Trumbull
- B Cubed Operations Ohio, LLC: 437 E Liberty St., Hubbard
- Green Leaf Medical of Ohio II, LLC: 2932 Youngstown Rd. SE, Warren
Medina
- GreenBud, LLC: 5000 Park Ave. W, Seville
Ashtabula
- Italian Herbs LLC: 2712 West Prospect Rd., Ashtabula
Mahoning
- Quest Wellness Ohio II, LLC: 4323 Market St., Youngstown
Tuscarawas
- Ratio Cannabis LLC: 1145 W. High Ave., New Philadelphia
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
Ohio
Mary Lucille Young, Youngstown, Ohio
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Mrs. Mary Lucille Young, 74, of Youngstown, departed this life on Friday, April 10, 2026 at her residence where God welcomed her home.
Mary, affectionately known as “Mary Lou” and “Tang”, was born March 8, 1952 in Youngstown, a daughter of Lawrence and Ada Mae Alexander Hamilton Young.
She was a proud 1971 graduate of South High School.
Mary was a member of New Bethel Baptist Church.
She attended Louis Weinberger Hill Beauty School, and was accepted as a model with Barbizon Modeling Agency.
Mary worked and retired from Youngstown Sheet and Tube.
She enjoyed looking her best, dancing, shopping, casinos and decorating her home. Mary was strong, bold and took no mess. She was loved by many people.
She leaves to cherish her memories, her pride and joy, two daughters, Adalatesha Bright and Richlynn Bright; two sons, Ja-Juan Young and Dr. Ty-Juan Bright all of Youngstown; five grandchildren; two sisters, Cynthia (Floyd) Davis, Janet (Steve) Gardner both of Youngstown; and a host of family and friends.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Michael Lamar Young; three brothers, Isaiah, Edward, Lorenzo Young.
Private services were held at the L.E. Black, Phillips & Holden Funeral Home.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Lucille Young, please visit our floral store.
Ohio
NWSL announces expansion to Columbus, Ohio
The NWSL is once again expanding, this time the league is heading to Ohio where Columbus NWSL 2028 will take the field. Of course, Columbus NWSL 2028 is a placeholder for now and the the new team will unveil its name, crest, and uniform to build an identity around as it approaches its first season.
News of the club was announced yesterday, though this has been in the works for some time, in a press conference. Team owners, the Haslam Sports Group (HSG), Nationwide and Drs. Christine and Pete Edwards, spoke about what they hope the club will bring to Columbus and women’s soccer more broadly.
“Our family is thrilled to help bring an NWSL team to Columbus and further invest in Ohio, with the honor of bringing the 18th team into the league,” said Haslam Sports Group Managing Partner Whitney Haslam Johnson. “We believe in the power of women’s sports and are humbled to be part of the number one women’s soccer league in the world.”
Nationwide insurance has been a corporate partner in both NWSL and MLS for years and now joins an ownership group deepening those ties. “Today’s announcement is about inspiring young athletes across Central Ohio, elevating women’s professional sports and reminding the world that Columbus is a first-class sports city,” said Kirt Walker, Nationwide Chief Executive Officer. “As Nationwide marks 100 years, this is a powerful way to celebrate our milestone with the community that has been our home from the very beginning.”
The Edwards family has deep roots in the Columbus soccer scene with Dr. Pete Edwards serving as team doctor for the Crew in 1996 and the family joining the team’s ownership in 2019 during the Save The Crew effort. “Columbus is very important to our family. For over 30 years, we’ve supported the Columbus Crew and MLS. We’ve seen how a men’s professional soccer team has brought people together and created a positive impact in our community. It’s truly special to now welcome an NWSL club and the incredible women athletes who will also uplift our city on and off the pitch,” said Dr. Christine Edwards. “We’re very excited to partner with Haslam Sports Group and Nationwide for NWSL Columbus 2028, and we can’t wait to share even more memorable moments with fans, especially during the Club’s first game at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.”
The NWSL has continued its expansion with the announcement and the team will join Atlanta in its inaugural season in two years.
Ohio
Ex-Ohio State president Ted Carter’s girlfriend would sneak through campus garage to get to his office, report reveals
Disgraced ex-Ohio State President Ted Carter repeatedly snuck his alleged failing podcaster lover through a campus garage for secret visits to his office as he funneled university resources into her business ventures, a shocking new report claims.
The report into the circumstances behind Carter’s abrupt exit from his cushy $1.5 million-a-year role last month detailed his secret office rendezvous with Krisanthe Vlachos, host of “The Callout Podcast,” and at least five trips he took with her.
The duo jetted off to Richmond, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Las Vegas – with the married 66-year-old allegedly cooking up a fake business excuse for one trip, the report released Tuesday by the college found.
One social media post showed the pair at a Colorado Springs conference in January, with the ex-prez smiling next to Vlachos, who is clad in an all-black leather getup.
Carter – married to Lynda Carter for nearly 45 years – admitted giving Vlachos “inappropriate access” to university leadership and public resources to boost her private business when he voluntarily resigned.
The probe found he tapped at least 14 staffers to help his purported paramour, who hosted a veteran-focused podcast, including efforts to score her a university job, campus space, support staff, and financial backing from the school and outside agencies like JobsOhio for different business ventures.
“Carter’s actions betrayed Ohio State’s shared values and violated university policy,” the 47-page report said, adding his “wide-ranging” efforts dragged on for almost two years.
“Carter had a close personal and business relationship with Vlachos and he allowed that relationship to improperly influence his actions and impair his judgement.”
JobsOhio shelled out $60,000 to the prexy’s reported flame to produce four podcast episodes about veteran issues – though only one was completed, the agency said last month.
The company, which said its decision to invest was driven by Carter’s recommendation, is now trying to “clawback” the funds after all of Vlacho’s poorly performing podcast episodes were hastily removed from YouTube and other streamers when the scandal erupted.
Carter – who served as a Top Gun pilot and instructor during 38 years in the Navy – admitted in one episode he was a “frequent flyer” on the floundering show, appearing as a guest at least nine times since 2024.
JobsOhio also dished out $10,000 to sponsor a January 2025 event for vets and military families at Ohio State, calling it an “opportunity that Ms. Vlachos brought our attention.”
The agency’s handouts for Vlachos came to an end after she requested a $2.9 million investment in her proposed mobile app, which aimed to help Ohio veterans get jobs.
An Ohio State spokesman previously confirmed officials were investigating an LLC registered to Vlachos at a university-owned building, in connection with the ex-leader’s departure.
Carter and Vlachos have not responded publicly to the relationship allegations.
With Post wires.
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