TOLEDO, Ohio — Since December, Ohio residents have been able to legally grow and possess marijuana recreationally.
While state officials are still working out the details of how the plant will be sold through government-established policies and regulations for dispensaries, WTOL 11 has learned items to grow the plant are selling fast.
Toledo Indoor Garden, at 5520 Secor Road in west Toledo, has been selling horticulture equipment for nearly 15 years across a few states. Owner Craig Poupard said business is now blooming across the board.
"We have stores in Kansas City, Michigan and Ohio, of course," Poupard said. "We noticed a lot more foot traffic and, especially for things like these, the grow tents that are easy to put up and take down. It's simple for somebody to get started."
Poupard said the passage of Issue 2 in November has drawn more older groups to his business than he had seen before.
"It's the 40s, 50s, 60s, I mean, it's older," Poupard said. "Before, it was a younger crowd."
No matter your age or experience level, his small business helps grow horticulturalists of all kinds. Those starting out shouldn't look to spend thousands of dollars as some of the novice grower setups are a few hundred dollars, he said. But growing marijuana can easily run costs into the thousands for those with a bigger budget and a better knowledge of growing.
"We host (free) classes a lot and normally have 20-25 people. The last class we had was about 75. We didn't have enough room," Poupard said. "Bring in pictures, call us, email us. We FaceTime people. Whatever we can do to help."
In his almost 15 years of business, Poupard said he knew he'd needed to patiently wait for Ohio to change its laws. Issue 2 passed in November by 57%.