Ohio Issue 2 created a Cannabis Social Equity and Jobs Program funded by adult-use tax revenue, prioritizing dispensary licenses for applicants harmed by prior cannabis enforcement; Cleveland has urged equitable site selection citywide.
Ohio Revised Code §3780.18, enacted via Issue 2 in 2023, created the Cannabis Social Equity and Jobs Program funded by 36% of the 10% adult-use cannabis excise tax. The program offers loans, grants, and license-application assistance to social-equity applicants — defined to include people with prior cannabis convictions, residents of disproportionately impacted communities, and minority/women-owned operators. Initial adult-use licenses prioritized existing medical dispensaries, but new licenses since 2024 reserve allocations for equity applicants. Cleveland City Council has advocated for siting equity dispensaries in historically over-policed neighborhoods rather than concentrating them in suburbs.
Misrepresenting social-equity status, fronting for non-equity investors, or violating ownership-transfer restrictions can trigger license revocation and civil penalties from the Division of Cannabis Control.
Cleveland, OH
Ohio law and Cleveland zoning require cannabis dispensaries and cultivators to maintain buffer distances from schools, churches, libraries, parks, and playgr...
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland regulates cannabis dispensary locations through zoning restrictions. Dispensaries must comply with Ohio Division of Cannabis Control licensing requ...
See how Cleveland's social equity licensing rules stack up against other locations.
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