BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Zach Gergich, the manager of the Nectar marijuana dispensary in Bowling Green, says in the world of weed, Ohio is playing catch up to Michigan.
"We're (Ohio) on the ground floor building up, while they (Michigan) are on the top of the skyscraper. They already have everything built and underneath them," Gergich said.
But since recreational marijuana sales in Ohio opened on Aug. 6, Gergich says the cash register is ringing more than he expected.
"We have to compete with the Michigan market, there's also the gas station stuff that we have to compete with, but we're still blowing my expectations out of the water," he said.
Registers are ringing statewide, too. As of Nov. 30, the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control reports that sales have reached more than $191 million.
That seems like a lot until you look north. Michigan's Cannabis Regulatory Agency says the state had sales over $267 million in October alone.
Gergich chalks it up to cheaper prices in Michigan, which has more cultivators.
"Anything that's sold in Ohio has to be made and processed in Ohio, so it's really just getting the groundwork laid out first, being able to drop those prices as things go along," he said.
Gergich said politicians play a role too and that local municipalities placing moratoriums on marijuana sales have benefited him.
"We're kind of lucky that we're wedged in between Perrysburg and Findlay," he said. Both cities, as well as Maumee, Napoleon and Northwood, have a form of marijuana moratorium, according to Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law.
Perrysburg City Council two weeks ago voted to extend its ban through May 2025. Council president Kevin Fuller was the sole vote against.
"Moratoriums I think can be overused, especially at a time where right now we are trying to encourage businesses, small and large businesses, to come to Perrysburg," Fuller said.
He says since the majority of Ohio voters favored legalizing recreational marijuana sales last year, the city should show it is business-friendly.
"When we do stuff like this, I think we send a message the other way," Fuller said. "I don't know if it's necessarily just about revenue, but it's also about a supply and demand and an industry that's been approved by the voters of Ohio."