Cannabis Marketing in Ohio

For close to a decade, Ohio has been a cornerstone of the Midwestern legal cannabis space. In 2016, the Birthplace of Aviation launched a medical cannabis program through the state legislature, and Ohio voters added recreational cannabis to the legal landscape in 2023, with adult-use sales beginning Aug. 6, 2024. 

There is a growing business support network for the many makers of Ohio cannabis products. Since 2019, the Ohio Cannabis Health & Business Summit has created opportunities for professionals in the cannabis, CBD and hemp spaces a chance to connect and learn. 

Is Cannabis Legal in Ohio?

After a failed (and controversial) 2015 ballot initiative to legalize weed in the Buckeye State, the state legislature moved forward with medical cannabis the following year through the approval of House Bill 523—although Ohio didn’t greenlight adult-use cannabis until Nov. 7, 2023. When Ohio Issue 2 was passed by voters, it prompted the formation of the Division of Cannabis Control to regulate the new recreational market, as well as oversee the preexisting Medical Marijuana Control Program.

Here’s a breakdown of the Ohio cannabis laws: Adults in Ohio over 21 years of age can possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, as well as up to six plants for home grow per person, up to 12 plants per household. Dispensary sales are subject to a 10% cannabis sales tax. Dispensaries didn’t begin recreational sales until August of 2024—although as soon as they did, it sparked concerns about interstate commerce. Indiana law enforcement swiftly issued warnings to anyone thinking about crossing state lines to make a purchase and bring it back, although Indiana neighbors Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky all have medical and / or adult-use cannabis programs.

Is it Legal to Market Cannabis in Ohio?

Ohio cannabis regulators allow operators to market their products, within the parameters of certain cannabis marketing rules that stipulate how brands can advertise to customers. Many of these laws predate Ohio Issue 2, and were established with the state’s medical cannabis market in 2017. 

In addition to state laws and regulations, Ohio cannabis businesses are also subject to federal advertising restrictions informed by cannabis’s current Schedule I status—although that may change when cannabis is moved to Schedule III by the DEA.

You won’t see a cannabis dispensary Super Bowl ad on television anytime soon, but the FCC isn’t the only institution that shapes how cannabis brands can advertise on popular communication networks. Social media networks like Meta (Threads, Facebook and Instagram), X and LinkedIn set their own policies around cannabis content, including paid advertising. 

Meta properties are notoriously frosty toward posts about cannabis, prompting the use of cagey cannabis hashtags that use slang terms and alternate spellings to dodge algorithmic censorship. X (formerly known as Twitter) and LinkedIn, however, have begun to allow cannabis brands to target ads toward adult consumers in legal states. 

How to Legally Market Cannabis Brands in Ohio

Ohio, like many other legal states from California to New York, does not allow advertisements “that are false, misleading, targeted to minors, promote excessive use, or that promote illegal activity.” The rules outlined in Ohio Rev. Code § 3780.21 include “narrowly tailored time and place restrictions preventing advertising targeted to minors.” 

That means cannabis cannot be marketed using billboards, radio, television or internet broadcasts, on handheld or portable signage, through flyers, on public transit vehicles or shelters, on public property or within 500 feet of prohibited facilities that include addiction treatment centers and game arcades. 

Ohio even requires cultivators and retailers to change strain names that reference popular slang terms for cannabis or might have undue appeal to minors. That’s one example of the challenges that multistate operators (MSOs) face in establishing truly mainstream cannabis brands and using B2C consumer education to market products. 

That’s especially true in an industry where strain names are often more recognizable than brand names, and where many brands compete to cultivate trending genetics as well as classic genetics. That’s both a holdover of the illicit market and a natural result of cannabis growing cycles and consumers’ yen for novelty.

Dispensary Marketing in Ohio

The Buckeye State elected to give existing medical cannabis license holders first dibs on licensure for the emerging adult-use market. That means most of the existing dispensaries and vertically integrated cannabis companies in Ohio have a head start on establishing both inventory and brand recognition in their target markets. However, this paradigm is also indicative of how Ohio followed the pattern set by states like Colorado that opened recreational cannabis markets without social equity programs in place. 

Many legal states have revised their cannabis regulatory structures to prioritize social equity license holders, typically members of marginalized communities impacted by the War on Drugs or members of protected classes like veterans. Some newer states to legalize, like Minnesota, have baked such provisions into their cannabis regulations from the outset.

One unique element to dispensary marketing in Ohio is a set of temporary restrictions designed to bridge the gap between existing medical cannabis regulations and the new regulatory rules. Until the transition is complete, there is a ban on pre-rolls in Ohio (despite their popularity across nearly all legal markets), a 70% THC concentrates potency cap and an edict that retailers sell cannabis flower in 1/10 oz increments, rather than more standard portioning.

Cannabis Brand Marketing in Ohio

Cannabis marketing and advertising in Ohio is still evolving. Retailers only just opened their doors to recreational customers, and many will need to win over customers whose habit is shopping across state lines or in the illicit market. 

Dispensaries, cultivators and ancillary service providers alike can benefit from event marketing throughout the year. The adult-use cannabis market didn’t open in Ohio until after the big retail holidays of 4/20 and 7/10. But that gives retailers more time to plan stunts & elevated tactics for subsequent years as well as build a strong foundation of proactive PR and media relations in the months between. 

Some of the first Ohio cannabis brands to receive their adult-use licenses and open for recreational sales included the Sunnyside Dispensaries, Bloom Medicinals, Queen City Cannabis and Pure Ohio Wellness.  

Top 10 Cannabis Brands in Ohio

From the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to the roller coasters of Cedar Point, Ohio is a state known for savoring thrills, culture and tasty treats—Skyline chili, Buckeye candies, all-American sports teams and stellar natural wonders like the Cuyahoga Valley and Hocking Hills. Now Ohio is adding a new wing to its high-flying history—cannabis plants as tall as the stalks of the state’s famous cornfields. a