CINCINNATI, Oh. — Recreational cannabis is now being sold legally in Ohio, as of Aug. 6.
Accordingly, many Kentuckians are traveling across state lines to partake, but they can still get in trouble for bringing it back.
“I think a lot of people will tend to forget that there is a state line that runs between Covington and Cincinnati, and that even though it’s legal over there, it’s not legal over here, and that they very well may end up bringing some back thinking it’s perfectly fine, but ignorance of the law will still get you in trouble if you break it,” said Lt. Justin Bradbury, Public information officer for the Covington Police Department.
Spectrum News 1 spoke to two brothers who were among the first to make the trip. They also hope to be among the first to open a medical cannabis dispensary in the Commonwealth.
It was like Christmas for Joe Cox. At least, that’s how he described it to his wife.
“I just started jerking around like ahhh. She’s like, ‘What?’ I was like, ‘We can buy marijuana this Tuesday in Ohio!’” Cox said.
He and his brother Doug made the trip over from Florence to Cincinnati to be among the first to buy legal cannabis with no medical license required. It wasn’t just for their own personal use, but also to get a feel for how the dispensaries are operated.
They hope to open theirs, The Blazed Leaf, somewhere in northern Kentucky to sell medical cannabis.
“Definitely look at what they’re invested in and see what theirs looks like. So that way we can try to follow suit, or hopefully make it a little more convenient and better for the consumer,” Cox said.
They bought an assortment of products from the Ascend dispensary and made sure to check each label for things the average user might not know or care about.
“It’s got 28.5% THC A,” Cox said of one product. “We’re wanting to make sure that we’re gonna get the quality of the product that we’re wanting.”
The Cox brothers legally had to use their products in Ohio.
Bradbury said the legality of bringing cannabis back to Kentucky is cut and dry.
“So the laws for marijuana possession are still the same. Even though the laws have changed in Ohio, they have not changed in Kentucky. It’s still a misdemeanor offense. It’s still an arrest-able offense. So we would highly recommend that anyone who wants to go to Ohio to partake, that they do so over there, and that they don’t bring it back with them,” Bradbury said. “The only time it’s legal for residents of Kentucky to go over to Ohio and buy marijuana to bring back is if they’re following the rules of the medical marijuana that was under the governor’s executive order. If they’re not following those rules, and there’s about eight rules, then they could find themselves in trouble.”
Those Kentuckians with medical licenses are who the Cox brothers hope to serve moving forward. Joe, who has focal epilepsy, knows firsthand the difference cannabis can make.
“It served its purpose for me. It’s definitely kept me a good solid 12 years without having a full on episode. It allows me to be able to stay conscious and take care of myself in a way that people that get medicine should,” he said. “Not only am I going to give people relief, but I’m also going to make myself happy about the way I’m doing it.”
To do that, he and his brother need a license, which they’re in the process of trying to obtain. Doug said that comes with its own complications.
“If we do choose a city that doesn’t end up legalizing it, then we have to pivot again and now we’ve got to find another place. So, still a lot of moving parts there, but we’re excited about it,” he said.
In the meantime, they’ll have plenty of opportunities to test products.
Police say driving while intoxicated is still a crime. So if Kentuckians go to Ohio to use cannabis, they should plan to have a designated driver.