Stoners are willing to legally smoke as hard, but don’t lose hope.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Out of 235 applications, the Division of Cannabis Control has granted provisional licenses to 46 facilities as of June 21. The big question remains when medical marijuana businesses will receive their certification to operate for adult use. The DCC has a few reminders for eager future customers, as local cannabis sellers are also waiting impatiently.

You can feel the excitement the moment you walk into the Amplify dispensary in Cleveland Heights.

“It’ll be three years,” owner Andy Rayburn said.

Rayburn received some good news Friday.

“We have secured the remainder of our provisional licenses for the three Amplify dispensaries and for our cultivation and for our processor, Buckeye Relief,” Rayburn added.

This means that his entire operation is just one call away from an operating certificate to sell cannabis products to people 21 and older.

“We tripled our inventory to be ready to receive a large number of patents and we did the same thing at Buckeye Relief,” Rayburn said.

The Division of Cannabis Control reminds people that while no operating certificates have been issued to dispensaries at this point, there will not be a single day when sales begin. Indeed, current medical marijuana license holders who have already met the requirements for a dual-use license should benefit from a much faster processing time. Rayburn has an advantage, having worked in the medical field for years, and he has made sure his employees are ready.

“We have a full team ready to go,” said Kaitlyn Bernat, inventory manager at Amplify.

Klutch Cannabis in Akron is in a similar situation; they are just waiting for the call from the DCC.

“We believe that over the next few weeks we will be serving a whole new group of consumers,” said Pete Nischt, vice president of compliance communications at Klutch Cannabis.

In anticipation of adult-use cannabis sales, Rayburn has increased staff by 30 percent at its three dispensaries and hired 30 more people at its treatment center. Its employees are trained on the products and patiently waiting for the red light to turn green.

“We just wanted to get our values ​​across and make sure we were ready for the big day so we didn’t miss anything,” said Marvin Keyes, CEO of Amplify.

The DCC said that when certificates are issued, it is up to the retailer to decide, based on their staff and stock, which day they will begin sales.

The Cannabis Control Division has processed more than 200 requests since June 7. Rayburn anticipates it will be a matter of weeks, not months, before he gets his operating certificate. He expects the end of July, but again, it all depends on the DCC.