Customers stream into The Forest

PERKINS TWP. — A steady stream of customers came into The Forest, the area's oldest cannabis dispensary, when it began recreational marijuana sales on Wednesday. "We've been waiting for this moment for a long time," said one of the customers, Jacob Schwab of Genoa, who also is an employee of Standard Wellness, the parent company for The Forest, working at the company's Gibsonburg cultivation and processing center. Recreational marijuana sales have begun across Ohio this week. Three other local dispensaries began sales on Tuesday: Firelands Scientific at 2300 University Dr. E, Huron; Ascend Cannabis, 6019 Milan Road (U.S. 250) in Perkins Township; and Terrasana Cannabis, 1800 E State St. in Fremont. The Forest, at 5020 Milan Road (U.S. 250) in Perkins Township, got the go-ahead to begin sales on Wednesday, as did many other dispensaries in Ohio which formerly had been medical marijuana dispensaries only, said Michael Wells, vice president of revenue for Standard Wellness. Customers at The Forest were required to produce an ID showing that they were at least 21 years old before being allowed to go through the door to the room where cannabis products were sold. Inside the showroom, a menu display board listed prices for various products, including flower (i.e., smokable marijuana), tinctures, vape cartridges and edibles such as gummies. Wells said about 50% of the sales are for flower, with vape oil and edibles accounting for many other sales. Customers appeared to be of all ages. Once inside, they were helped by dispensary agents, often known as "budtenders," who answered questions and helped the customers find what they needed. "Questions are encouraged," Wells said. "We encourage that one-on-one interaction." While prices varied for the various products, and The Forest offered an opening day sale of 10% off for its Standard Wellness house brand. Prices are more expensive in Ohio now than in Michigan, which has had legal recreational sales for years. Wells noted that Michigan has had a head start for years and has a different industry. There are no limits to the number of retail outlets in Michigan, for example. But he estimates that in six months, Ohio prices likely will be coming down. Wells said his company believes Michigan has gained $500 million a year of business from Ohio customers, and it's expected that much of that spending will be coming back to Ohio to generate business revenue and tax revenue. Michigan's marijuana industry includes clusters of dispensaries along the Ohio border, the Wisconsin border and the Indiana border, Wells said. Apparently not all of the customers coming into Ohio dispensaries this week were looking to just get high. Ohio's medical marijuana license system is tightly regulated, with patients only allowed to obtain marijuana for specific ailments. The recreational sales allow people to come in for general pain relief, to get help with sleeping and to deal with other ailments, employees of The Forest said. Marlena Gavel, a dispensary agent who has worked for The Forest for about three years, said that even on Wednesday, most of the people coming in were looking for pain relief and help with ailments. For people in pain, Gavel recommended edibles like gummies, which produce effects that last for hours. She said she also recommended products with high amounts of THC, marijuana's main active ingredient, for people dealing with pain. Customers familiar with dispensaries in other states will notice that Ohio dispensaries sell flower in odd amounts. The industry standard is to sell flower packages in increments of one-eighth of an ounce, about 3.5 grams. Under Ohio's medical marijuana program, cannabis is sold in increments of 2.83 grams. Those sizes also are being used for recreational sales, although Wells said Ohio will convert to industry-standard size packaging later this year. Ohio customers also may notice they can't purchase pre-rolled joints yet. Those products also are coming later this year. As with other Ohio dispensaries, business at The Forest is based on cash transactions. Customers paid with cash and debit cards. The dispensary also accepts an app called Spendr, a cannabis payments app that also offers a rewards program. Not all of the dispensary's new customers are experienced with cannabis. Newbies are always advised to "start low, go slow" with products, Wells said. Edibles can take 90 minutes before the user feels any effect, he noted. The two cannabis businesses on Milan Road (U.S. 250), The Forest and Ascend, are competing with businesses along the same stretch of road that sell Delta 8 THC, a form of "marijuana light" derived from hemp that is widely sold under a loophole in federal law. Wells said his industry believes Ohio should follow in the footsteps of Michigan and other states by essentially banning Delta 8 THC sales, which are completely unregulated. Unlike Ohio's cannabis industry, there are no Delta 8 THC laboratory tests for harmful materials such as heavy metals and to determine dosage, and there are no rules for age limits on sales, Wells noted. The Forest previously made history as the first medical marijuana dispensary in Ohio allowed to do business. Its first transaction was in January 2019 at its old Sandusky location, Wells said.