Pre-rolls have been a sought-after product from the moment Ohio launched its recreational cannabis program in Aug. 2024, even as it took almost a year for them to land on shelves. Andrew Rayburn, owner of Eastlake cultivator and processor Buckeye Relief, said customers have been asking about them since passage of Issue 2, the initiative that legalized cannabis for adult use in the Buckeye State.
“People have been going to smoke shops and gas stations to buy contaminated product,” said Rayburn, also owner of three Amplify dispensaries in state. “It’s a delight to give them a pure, tested, top-quality product.”
Now that pre-rolls are officially in Ohio dispensaries, they’re expected to be a top seller for years to come. From June 2023 to June 2024, pre-rolls saw the largest revenue increase of all cannabis categories, growing by 11.89%, according to a study from pre-roll manufacturing company Custom Cones USA and cannabis analytics firm Headset.
Rayburn estimates the product will take up between 10%-20% of market share within the next six months. Consumer reception at Amplify has been so enthusiastic that Rayburn will have to quadruple his production to meet demand, he said.
Rayburn has been preparing to introduce pre-rolls since last year, purchasing grinders, rollers and other equipment to transform flower into smokable joints. Today, Amplify dispensaries are selling pre-rolls in gram and half-gram units – a single one-gram joint goes for $12-$15, with customers paying $50 for a pack of five half-gram pre-rolls enhanced with a cannabis concentrate.
“Customers have been asking about this since last August, but it’s been getting louder over the last few months,” Rayburn said. “What we’re producing now is a fraction of what we’ll be making after we get the kinks out of the process.”
Any licensed cannabis processor must receive approval from the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control before stocking pre-rolls on dispensary shelves, according to guidance released by the agency. DCC regulations limit single servings to one gram of plant material and cap the THC content of infused pre-rolls at 500 mg.
Pure Ohio chief operating officer Tracey McMillin sees these restrictions as a manageable framework for state dispensaries as they move forward with sales. With locations in Dayton and London, Oh. — and another opening in Tallmadge within the next month — the cannabis company has already added a second shift to its pre-roll production team.
High demand is driven by price and convenience, making pre-rolls appealing to both curious newcomers and anyone with less-than-nimble fingers, McMillin said.
“Maybe people hadn’t used in years, or don’t know how to roll (a joint) because it’s too much trouble,” she said. “Pre-rolls aren’t going to replace anything (in the market), they’re going to add to it. It’s not a huge investment – you get it and it’s ready to use.”
McMillin said pre-rolls may keep Ohio imbibers from Michigan, an oversupplied market that offers some of the cheapest legal marijuana in the nation. The challenge for Ohio is getting the word out amid a tangle of state advertising regulations.
For instance, dispensaries must use generic, state-approved packaging until they can get brand-specific packaging approved. Established rules about promoting medical marijuana apply to the rec market as well, including prohibition of billboards or signage. Dispensaries can currently advertise pre-rolls on their storefronts and apply to sell accessories such as rolling papers and matches.
“But you can only give information to people in the store, so it’s hard to get the word out to people who are not customers,” said McMillin. “I don’t know if anyone has figured out how to access customers who aren’t already here.”
For now, Buckeye Relief owner Rayburn is just glad that gas station pre-rolls will have a smaller market.
“Let’s continue to educate legislature about this unregulated product coming in from China and the West Coast,” said Rayburn.
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