Ohio has only allowed pre-rolls for about three months now, but already, the fastest-growing cannabis segment nationally is making its impact felt in the Buckeye State.
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Despite sales beginning in late August, more than 1.2 million pre-rolls were sold before the year’s end, with more and more pre-rolls moving each month, according to data from Headset. By December, pre-roll revenue jumped nearly 200 percent and accounted for a full 5.5 percent of all sales.
By April of 2026, that market share jumped to 7.4 percent, and pre-rolls show no signs of slowing down.
So let’s dive into what pre-rolls are popular, what the cost and margin are within the segment, and why a pre-roll line is a must-have for any brand hoping to compete in dispensaries across Ohio.
Pre-Rolls Unleashed
Ohio voters approved its recreational cannabis program in 2023, with licensed sales officially beginning in August 2024. However, following the shift from a non-smoking medical market, it took a year for pre-roll regulations to be approved.
That changed in August of last year when the Ohio Department of Cannabis Control released its rules for “Single Serving Units,” or pre-rolls, which included rules for both infused and non-infused varieties.
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The document also includes the rules on things like pre-roll packaging and pre-roll testing, which in Ohio is done in its final form. That means the pre-rolled cones used are part of the test, which is why it is so important for pre-roll manufacturers to be careful in their choice of paper supplier to ensure that the cones you pack your pre-rolls in don’t cause an entire batch of product to need to be destroyed, or worse.
How Are Pre-Rolls Selling in Ohio?
As noted, despite only being available for a little over three months, pre-rolls jumped to a 5.5 percent market share in December 2025, selling more than 403,000 units. That’s an increase of nearly 20 percent from November, which itself saw a 21 percent increase over October, according to data sourced from cannabis analytics firm Headset.
Looking at revenue, pre-roll sales jumped from $1.894 million in September to $5.579 million in December, a growth of nearly 200 percent in their first quarter of sales.
By year’s end, despite only a single quarter of sales, pre-rolls accounted for 4 percent of all cannabis revenues in Ohio.
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So far, 2026 has seen continued rapid growth of the pre-roll category, raking in a total of $26.7 million in revenue on sales of 1.9 million units through the first four months of this year. And as impressive as the overall numbers for the year are, the month-over-month growth is even more so and worth noting.
Pre-roll revenue in January 2026 was just over $5.5 million, climbing to $5.9 million in February, $7.4 million in March, and reaching more than $7.9 million in April. That’s a growth of 44 percent in just the first four months of this year.
During the same period, unit sales went from 401,000 in January to 432,000 in February, 532,000 in March, and 550,000 in April. That’s a 37 percent jump in unit sales over the first four months.
Throughout that time, pre-roll market share has also increased, rising from 5.6 percent in January to 7.4 percent in April.
As far as pricing goes, the average item price for a pre-roll peaked in October at $14.72, before dropping to $13.83 in December. Prices have been relatively consistent so far through 2026, beginning at $11.43 in January, dropping to a low of $11.21 in March, and stabilizing at $11.33 in April.
What Pre-Rolls are Selling in Ohio?
Diving deeper into the segments themselves, the single-strain hybrid is by far the most popular pre-roll in Ohio. So far in 2026, Ohio pre-roll consumers have purchased nearly 1.2 million hybrid units, totaling about $15 million in revenue, compared to $8 million in revenue on sales of 421,000 infused pre-rolls, the second-most popular segment.
That is 56 percent of all pre-roll revenue and 62 percent of unit sales going to hybrid pre-rolls.
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And while a break from the national picture, where infused pre-rolls account for around 44 percent of all pre-rolls sold, it makes sense given the age of Ohio’s recreational marketplace. When markets first open, we tend to see the majority of the flower sold as flower, with smaller percentages used for pre-rolls and to make concentrates.
But as growers dial in their operations and harvests begin to get larger and more frequent, flower can be diverted to create higher-quality pre-rolls as well as larger amounts of concentrates. Then, as the concentrate market fills out and prices begin to drop, more of those can be used to create infused pre-roll products, which, because of their increased potency and flavor, often rise to the top segment of the pre-roll category.
Top Pre-Roll Brands and Products in Ohio
In the first quarter of sales, Buckeye Relief dominated the pre-roll market, selling about $3 million worth of product, or about 18 percent of the total market. Seven of the top 15 best-selling pre-rolls were produced by Buckeye Relief.
However, the top-selling pre-roll product in the state in 2025 belonged to the Dogwalkers brand, with its Mini Dog-Afternoon Delight Pre-Roll 5-pack. Dogwalkers is also the No. 2 brand in the state, selling $1.9 million worth of pre-rolls. Filling out the top 5 brands are (the) Essence ($1.7 million), Grassroots ($1 million), and Certified ($902,000).
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In 2026, that began to shift. Though Buckeye Relief is still the top brand with about $3.3 million in sales, its market share has fallen to 12.3 percent, followed by Dogwalkers ($2.5 million, 9.5 percent) and Essence ($2.4 million, 9.2 percent). However, Pure Ohio ($1.2 million) and RYTHM ($1.1 million) now round out the top 5.
This year, RYTHM owns the top two best-selling products and has four of the top 15 products, the same as Buckeye Relief.
And though 1-gram is by far the top-selling pre-roll size in the state, accounting for 55 percent of total sales and 68.5 percent of total units sold in the first four months of 2026, 13 of the top 15 best-selling products were multi-packs.
Final Thoughts on Ohio Pre-Rolls
Though still very new as far as markets go, Ohio’s pre-roll sales are very promising.
Through the first three months of sales, we are seeing hockey stick curve growth with massive leaps in units sold and revenues each month. And following a peak in October, the average price has started to come down, showing a maturing market, while unit sales continue double-digit percentage increases.
All of these point to a very busy 2026 for pre-roll manufacturers in Ohio. Like the country as a whole, we expect pre-rolls to continue their ascent in the category rankings, eventually claiming one of the top spots.
Using a relatively conservative growth model based on the first four months of 2026, we predict the overall pre-roll market in Ohio to reach between $80-88 million in revenues in 2026 on sales of between 5.75 million and 6.25 million units.
Pre-rolls are a simple way for brands to keep their products in front of consumers and, because they are one of the top add-ons at dispensaries in every market, provide easy entry points for customers to discover a new favorite brand. Pre-rolls are also a canvas for innovation, giving producers nearly limitless possibilities for what they can put inside a pre-rolled cone or tube.
Just remember that in Ohio, pre-rolls will be tested in their final form, so it is important to find a partner that cares as much about their cones as you do about your flower.
Now, let’s get packing.
*This article was submitted by an unpaid guest contributor. The opinions or statements within do not necessarily reflect those of GreenState or HNP. The author is solely responsible for the content.