Adults can now legally possess and grow marijuana in Ohio — but there's nowhere to buy it

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohioans woke up Thursday in a land of recreational marijuana limbo, in which adults can legally grow and possess cannabis at home, but cannot legally buy it.

That combination of factors related to a citizen-initiated statue voters approved in November “is a recipe for disaster,” Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday night. He urged passage of a compromise bill setting parameters for carrying out Issue 2. The 11th-hour deal managed to make it through the Ohio Senate on the eve of the new law's effective date, but not through the Ohio House, which — insistent there's no rush— opted to adjourn.

DeWine predicted that black market sales would flourish in the state, making fentanyl- or pesticide-laced marijuana products more accessible and endangering Ohioans, including children who could be subjected to second-hand pot smoke at this holiday season’s festivities.

One regulator quipped that growing marijuana without being able to legally buy it must require “immaculate conception.”