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OHIO — It’s been two weeks since non-medical marijuana sales became legal in Ohio.
Adult-use recreational sales have the Buckeye State seeing a lot more green.
According to the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control, within the first five days, dispensaries across the state took in $11.5M in total product sales.
By comparison, it took six months to reach that mark when medical marijuana hit the market in Jan. 2019.
For cannabis manufacturers in Ohio, the increase in sales is boosting a lot more than just their bottom line.
“So these are clones, and you can start to see the root development here,” said Joe Chek as he lifted a tray of small clone plants to show the roots.
Check is the facility director of Cresco Labs in Yellow Springs.
The clone room is where all the cannabis plants begin their lives.
“We know exactly where it’s been, when it began its life, and how many plants went into that finished good unit,” said Chek.
There’s a lot going on inside the facility located just outside of Dayton.
Just like how every strain likes its own blend of water and nutrients, the cannabis industry attracts its own different variety of employees.
Inside, you’ll find engineers like Chek, scientists, product specialists and people who come to the job with a purpose.
“I see how it helps people, and I like Cresco’s mission. I’m very well aligned with Cresco’s mission for wanting to normalize and standardize the cannabis industry. It’s something that’s very easy for me to believe in,” Chek said.
Inside the flower room where more than 1,600 plants are being harvested, you’ll find even more employees bringing their passion to the plants.
“At our site, we have a strict training program so that no one is going to be out on the floor performing any work unless they’ve spent weeks training,” said Chek.
Right now, the facility has 150 employees.
That number is up 65 people compared to nine months ago and they’ve opened a second shift to keep up with demand.
“That ramp-up in headcount that we keep at the site is based on adult-use legislation passing and the vote passing last November,” Chek said.
Chek says they’ve had an expansion plan in place for a while, but it was always a question of ‘when?’.
“So when voters spoke up and voted to pass issue 2 in November, we knew it was time to execute that plan,” he said.
With the change in law, not only is Cresco seeing a lot of growth in the greenhouse, but also in places like the kitchen that are now booming with employment and product.
“Nine months ago, we only had eight people in here, and we’re up to 17 in this kitchen alone,” said Chek.
In the kitchen and across the facility and lab, it’s all about strict attention to detail and maintaining quality control.
“It’s very regimented, more-so than what people might think before coming to a place like this,” Chek said.
Once it’s time to package the product, there’s even more to check.
“We have an automated line that check-weighs every single jar to make sure that the weight is accurate 100% of the time,” said Chek.
Every product also gets a Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) label.
According to Cresco Labs, sales and visitors have more than doubled since adult-use started.
Some stores saw over 1,200 people on the first day.
Products are sold at five Sunnyside locations and a variety of dispensaries across the state.
As for Chek and the team, as the demand continues to rise, the combination of chemistry, agriculture and manufacturing is calling more people to cash in on new careers.
“When you bring new people into the industry, you get that sparkle in their eye. They’re all very excited to be here for the first time. So we’re all just trying to propagate that and really just enjoy it while we can. So we’re just all happy to be here,” said Chek.
Besides opening a second shift in the greenhouses, Cresco also added a shift to the kitchen.
Within the past two weeks, Cresco says flower products have dominated sales with vapes and edibles coming in second.
“}]] A major increase within the first two weeks. Read More
