MT. ORAB, Ohio (WKRC) - Seven months after recreational marijuana sales became legal in Ohio, a local cannabis facility is experiencing significant growth.
The facility, which opened in 2019, expanded its workforce to 47 full-time employees in 2024 following the legalization of adult recreational weed sales in August 2024. The Cannabist Company, which operates the facility, also runs five dispensaries across Ohio, including one in Monroe.
"Our day-to-day lives are pretty similar," said facility manager Katye Anderson. "We did increase plant counts to support adult use. But at the same time, it's hiring additional people. We've had the same SOPs and the same day-to-day tasks."
The facility operates as a manufacturing site with strict security policies and daily goals. Workers trim and clean dried buds before packaging them for sale. The process involves cloning young plants from a mother plant, placing them in dirt sacks, and maintaining them under controlled light and temperature conditions to maximize budding.
After about 12 weeks, the plants are harvested and either dried or freeze-dried before being shipped to a processing plant in Columbus. There, they are made into THC paste for gummies and other products.
Despite the increase in production, Anderson noted that the process remains largely unchanged since legalization. Approximately 60% of the processing plant's material is sold to other dispensaries statewide.
District retail manager Keri Stan highlighted the surge in demand, stating that foot traffic at Ohio dispensaries has more than doubled since recreational sales began.
"Ohio is the priority market right now. We've seen explosive growth in this market. I think there's still a ton of potential," Stan said.
Security at the plant is stringent, with cleanliness maintained through protective clothing and shoe covers for visitors and workers. Anderson emphasized the camaraderie among the staff, saying:
"The most fun thing about it is the people. We have some characters here. And we all get to work together and do something that is pretty foreign to a lot of people."
Ohio is one of 24 states with legalized recreational cannabis sales. Since the launch of adult-use sales last August, dispensaries have sold more than $333 million worth of cannabis products through February 18.