Morning Briefing | Ohio cannabis sales off to slower than expected start

Those selling recreational marijuana say sales have not reached the levels they expected.

In today’s Morning Briefing, we talk about how recreational cannabis sales are going and how much money has been generated so far. We also tell you the incredible story of Brooke Bergman, a Versailles High School student-athlete recovering from a near-fatal car accident.

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Ohio legal cannabis sales off to slow start with $155M in revenue

                        

Ohio’s recreational cannabis market has generated more than $155 million in sales in its first few months, but local dispensary operators say the demand wasn’t as aggressive as expected.

• The law: Customers 21 and older can buy up to 2.5 ounces of recreational cannabis at licensed dispensaries or home-grow up to six plants per person and 12 plants per residence.

• When sales started: Ohioans passed Issue 2 more than a year ago, and recreational sales started in August.

• Dayton dispensaries: Sixteen of the state’s 124 licensed dual-use dispensaries are in the Dayton region.

• What they are saying: “I think there’s just been a lot of things that slowed down the takeoff of this ... We’re still doing well, and we’re still moving forward. But it hasn’t been an explosion,” said Tracey McMillin, the chief operating officer of Pure Ohio Wellness.

• A budding market: As of last week, Ohio dispensaries have sold 19,458 pounds of non-medical plant material. The average price of plant material, as of last week, was $21.87 per one-tenth ounce — or $7.73 per gram.

• Projections: A 2023 study estimated that Ohio’s recreational market could generate as much as $403 million in its fifth year of operation.

Archdeacon: Survival nothing short of a miracle

                        

Two days after coming home from the hospital following her near-fatal accident with a tractor trailer in September, Brooke Bergman was inducted into the National Honor Society at Versailles High.

• What happened? Brooke was in a crash coming home from school on Sept. 18. She was hit by a semi just outside Versailles. Brooke had to be mechanically extracted from her crushed car.

• Injuries: She had seven broken ribs, a broken sternum, a broken left femur; a broken front pelvis and a broken tailbone. She also suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. She was in a coma for eight days.

• Hospital stay: Brooke spent 52 days in the hospital —19 at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton and 33 at the Ohio State Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital in Columbus.

• Road to recovery: Brooke is still going through extensive physical, occupational and speech therapy in Columbus and still must rely on a feeding tube to hydrate as she works on swallowing water again. She was allowed to come back home last Saturday.

• An athlete: Brooke is on the softball team, runs cross country and is especially known as a 5-foot-11 basketball guard.

• Community support: The Versailles community, people from surrounding towns, other schools — and especially other sports teams — as well as complete strangers all helped any way they could.

• In her words: “Well, I knew I had to get back to school, so I had to keep a good attitude. I thought about all my friends. They make me really happy. And my faith and my family helped me. It’s about positivity.”

What to know today

• One big takeaway: A piece of Democratic priority legislation to enact broad discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Ohioans received its first hearing in the Ohio Senate last week as the legislature works to complete its business before the term ends.

• Big move of the day: Wilberforce University graduates will be guaranteed admission into a Kettering College accelerated nursing program as part of new partnership.

• Tip of the day: WYSO Public Radio, the area’s only NPR station, has launched a music-only streaming channel called Novaphonic. The channel can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by streaming online at novaphonic.fm or by broadcast on any HD radio.

• Person to know today: Jim VanDeGrift. Services are set this week for a Hall of Fame retired Warren County high school football coach and a longtime township trustee remembered as a “community pillar.”

• Stat of the day: A proposed bill in the Ohio House could bring the minimum Ohio teacher’s salary to $50,000 from $35,000.

• Things to do: Carillon Historical Park celebrates the holiday season with its festive Ringing in the Holidays gala this weekend.

• Photo of the day: The 33rd annual Pet Afflaire Gala happened this past weekend at the Dayton Arcade. Pet Afflaire honors pets while raising money for other homeless animals through the Humane Society of Greater Dayton. Check out all the photos from Tom Gilliam.