Northeast Ohio communities are starting to reap the financial benefits of recreational marijuana use approved by voters in 2023.
This month, the Ohio Department of Taxation doled out millions in promised cannabis tax revenue to communities across the state for the first year-and-a-half of sales. Cleveland reported more than $740,000 in new funds from that period.
"Anytime we get an influx of money, especially to the tune of approximately three-quarters of a million dollars, that’s a big deal," said city spokesperson Tyler Sinclair. "It’s money we don’t currently have, and it’s going toward various needs in our community."
Sinclair said city officials have not yet determined what those funds will go toward.
Cleveland's finance department is conservatively budgeting half a million dollars annually in expected tax revenue from the city's five dispensaries licensed for recreational sales. Sinclair said he expects that number to grow.
"As time passes along and maybe more dispensaries open up and supply and demand changes, we hope to see an increase in this revenue," he said.
Ohio municipalities receive about 36% of the state’s 10% excise tax on dispensary sales within their borders.
Other Northeast Ohio communities have experienced even higher tax revenue bumps. In Akron, city officials reported $823,000 from sales made between August 2024 and November 2025.
