Ohio medical marijuana users find bargains in Michigan

Ohio’s medical marijuana patients have found a cheap place to buy medicinal cannabis: Michigan.

Ohio marijuana card holders have repeatedly told The Dispatch, both on the record and in private, that they travel to dispensaries north of the state line to save money. Patients consistently list price as one of the biggest obstacles to buying the drug in Ohio.

“In Ohio, you’re being charged double the price you pay in Michigan,” said Lea Spradlin, a medical marijuana patient who lives near Cincinnati and has traveled to Michigan to compare marijuana prices.

George McClure, a marijuana card holder who lives in Fremont, said shopping at Michigan dispensaries is far cheaper even after he factors in the price of gas.

“It’s a night-and-day comparison,” he said.

McClure said he signed up for text notifications announcing sales at Michigan dispensaries and often pays only 10% of what he would pay in Ohio.

Officials in Ohio’s medical marijuana industry have repeatedly said prices will fall once the state’s industry matures, and state figures tracking consumer costs support that notion.

But that state up north has a big jump on Ohio, having legalized medical marijuana more than a decade ago. In 2018, Michigan legalized recreational pot for residents over 21. (Sales began in December 2019.) [Read more at The Columbus Dispatch]