A few dozen Licking County residents reported using marijuana and most are doing so for medical reasons, new county survey data show.
Licking County Health Department collected data involving marijuana use for the first time in its annual Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Department staff are seeking the data to get a better sense of marijuana use in the county and plan to start tracking it in part through surveys, Licking County Health Commissioner Chad Brown said.
In the survey, the department asked residents about recreational marijuana use. Questions weren’t specific about particular types of cannabis.
Here is what some of the preliminary data show.
Of the people surveyed, about 48% said they only used marijuana for medical reasons. About 41% of people reported doing so for medical and non-medical reasons, the preliminary data show.
Only about 12% of respondents reported using marijuana recreationally.
About 25% of people reporting marijuana use in the survey said they are between ages 18 and 44, with a little more than 5% stating they are between 45 and 64. About 3% said they are over 65.
Most respondents in the survey reporting marijuana use said they made between $75,000 and $150,000, according to the preliminary data.
The department also asked respondents about the frequency of their marijuana use. About 50% said they use the substance daily, with 20% reporting they did so between three to nine days a month.
There were a similar amount – 8.8% – of people reporting use of one to two days a month and 10 to 29 days monthly.
The department estimates, based on the preliminary data, that about 13% of residents in Licking County use marijuana. The county has an estimated population around 180,000, according to Census data.
The percentages in this category could be different – some respondents reported use but didn’t list the amount of days they did so.
Smoking was by far the most common method of use people reported, with nearly half of them – 46% – selecting that option. About 24% said they use marijuana with a vape and 12% reported taking edibles, the preliminary data show.
About 10% stated they consumed marijuana through drinks. The state passed a bill that restricts hemp-derived cannabis products and bans THC drinks at grocery stores and breweries, but businesses that sell those products are fighting back with lawsuits and other methods.
In a community breakfast in March, some staff at Licking Memorial Hospital reaffirmed their belief that THC drinks and hemp should have stricter regulations. They reported a spike in patients experiencing psychosis after using THC drinks, and staff sought to raise awareness among community members about the products.
“It’s difficult to say what impact that’s had,” Brown previously told The Advocate of the controversial products. “The folks who sell it were upset with the ban, so that tells you people are buying it. But as far as the public health impact, we’re still searching for that data, since it’s relatively new since those products have become legal.”
The data represents the department’s first set of results from the survey regarding marijuana use. The survey asks respondents about other topics as well, and Brown expects the department will publish its Community Health Assessment containing results from the survey in the fall.
Recreational marijuana use in Licking County remains relatively new, with shops such as Curaleaf starting recreational sales in fall 2024. Curaleaf is one of three dispensaries in Newark that sell cannabis products and those are the only ones doing so in Licking County.
In January, the city received its first collection of excise tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales. Ohio Department of Taxation data shows Newark dispensaries had about $18 million in sales between August 2024 and January 2026. The state collects 64% of the tax revenue on those sales, with the city collecting 36%.
The state in January deposited $604,000 into the city treasurer’s office account, with the total consisting of money collected between August 2024 and November 2025.
Advocate reporter Josué Perez can be reached at jhperez@newarkadvocate.com.