Marking Ohio's first legal 420 holiday
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Sunday marks the first "420" since recreational marijuana sales were made legal in Ohio.
The origins of 420 – an unofficial marijuana holiday observed on April 20 – are unknown. Some say it was first used in the 1970s by a group of students as the time of day they would get together and smoke; others say it comes from police code of marijuana possession; still others say it comes from hippie culture and spread among fans of the band The Grateful Dead.
Emilie Ramach, a member of the Ohio Cannabis Coalition and employee at a local cannabis producer Beneleaves, said the company brought in some extra staff last week due to a large boost in orders.
Since recreational marijuana became legal, Beneleaves has doubled its sales. While the business welcomes the extra business, Ramach said the coalition urges safe use.
“There's a lot of parity with alcohol, you know, ‘enjoy responsibly,’” Ramach said. “I think as an industry as well, we just want to make sure that people are enjoying responsibly and safely. If you're impaired, you're impaired, you know? Don't get behind the wheel of a car and enjoy it responsibly this weekend.”
Ramach also wants to stress the importance of buying legally from dispensaries to ensure a safe product. Dispensaries have a series of tests they have to go through before they are allowed to sell, something she said illegal sellers may avoid.
“From the minute the product is grown from like that seed is planted all the way through to what you're purchasing in the dispensary, so we have complete traceability of that product lifecycle,” she said. “We have incredibly regulated testing procedures in place as well. Every product that you purchase and the legal dispensaries that you see in Ohio have all been triple tested.”
She also wants to remind Ohioans to educate themselves on the state’s marijuana laws including how much an adult can possess as well as storing it safely. According to the Central Ohio Poison Center, hundreds of children in the state under the age of six were exposed to edibles last year.