COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – It is the second day recreational marijuana is legal in the state, but not everything about the law is set in stone yet including any place to legally buy it. As the law is currently written, it likely won’t be until the fall when the first dispensary opens.   

The Department of Commerce still needs to set the rules and regulations for sale and then issue licenses for recreational dispensaries. The law gives the department of commerce nine months to set rules and issue licenses. That means there might not be a recreational dispensary open until September.   

“Those were outset dates, there’s nothing that requires commerce to take that full amount of time, but we wanted to be thoughtful to ensure commerce had time,” Spokesperson for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol, Tom Haren, said. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”  

At the statehouse, lawmakers want to expedite recreational sales. This week the Senate passed a bill that, if the House takes up, would allow for immediate recreational sales at medical dispensaries across the state. But even if that bill does pass the statehouse, as of now there is no emergency clause on it, so those sales would not be available for 90 days. 

“If you’re in the black market, yeah they can operate for 90 days but if you’re in the black market you may not decide to invest a whole lot if you’ve only got 90 days of action ahead of you,” Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) said.   

“Obviously we want it to happen quickly so we can start putting the illicit market out of business, so we can start bridging tax revenue back from Michigan,” Haren said. “But that process just take some time.” 

DeWine said he worries about the lack of a legal market, which is why he is urging a quick passage of legislation.  

“That is a recipe for disaster,” DeWine said. “What we don’t want is a situation where the black market grows.”

Haren said either way, Dec. 7 marked an important milestone for ohio. 

“There’s no criminal penalty associated with possession at this point and time,” Haren said.

Although it is legal to possess and consume here, because of federal law, it is still illegal to buy marijuana in another state and drive it back to Ohio.