MANSFIELD — There was a buzz of excitement in the air as customers streamed in and out of Richland County’s first licensed marijuana dispensary.

Mansfield lawmakers voted last year to allow up to three recreational and/or medical marijuana dispensaries within the city.

Beyond Hello opened for business Saturday at 1515 Lexington Avenue. Staff welcomed a steady flow of customers, from young adults to retirees.

“It’s been non-stop, so we are excited about that,” said Kelly Grey, the store’s general manager.

Beyond Hello carries both medical and adult recreational products. Its selections include cannabis flower, vapes, concentrates, cartridges, edibles, tinctures, topicals, capsules and even chocolates.

All customers must show their ID to a staff member before being buzzed in to the retail floor, which is only accessible through a locked door in the lobby. Shoppers must be 21 years or older to enter the retail area or make a purchase.

Kris Malloy, Beyond Hello’s area manager, said customers have their identity verified three different times throughout the shopping experience, including at checkout.

“It’s highly regulated,” she said. “Every single time that you walk into this facility, you have to have your identification verified.”

The store offers online pre-ordering and in-store pickup as well as discounts for veterans, according to its website.

Beyond Hello is a subsidiary of Jushi Holdings, a multi-state cannabis operator that includes cultivation, manufacturing and retail businesses. Mansfield’s location is the fifth Beyond Hello site in Ohio.

No obligation to buy: staff hopes to help educate the community on benefits of cannabis

One customer, a Butler man in his 60s, was thrilled to have a dispensary in the area.

“I was driving an hour to get to a dispensaries in Canton, Newark, Upper Sandusky, Marion,” he said. “I do have a medical card. I use topicals for pain. I use gummies for pain and also for sleeping.

“We look for the sales, because it is quite expensive, but it works,” he said.

The man said he’d been using medical marijuana products for about four years to treat his arthritis.

“As you age, things in old injuries creep back,” he said. “Once you really learn about this, it ends up being a natural remedy.

“I’ve tried stuff over the counter. Some of the CBD stuff was working for me. But if you get the right blend and the right product, it’s great.”

Despite the enthusiasm, the Butler resident was unwilling to provide his name due to the stigma surrounding marijuana use.

Beyond Hello employees said they hope to help reduce that stigma.

“A lot of people still are uncomfortable even discussing it,” Malloy said. “It’s socially acceptable to have an alcoholic beverage, but people will still perceive a cannabis user a specific way.”

Malloy said people are welcome to stop by the store just to browse and ask questions; there’s no obligation to make a purchase.

“As long as they have a valid form of identification that we can verify that they are 21 or older, they can absolutely come in,” she said.

“We will walk you through the process, help answer any questions that you may have about a certain product or extraction method. We’re out here to educate people and make sure everyone has safe access to these products.”