Ohio’s now-friendly relationship with cannabis means that dispensaries and smoke shops exist all over the state, but it wasn’t always that way. For decades, underground head shops introduced cannabis to patrons without actually selling it, using coded language to help them explore the ways to consume the banned plant.
On Sept. 25, MedicateOH stopped at the site of the fire at State Route 32 on Cincinnati’s east side to see what was left of High on the Hill. A week earlier, a drunk driver had struck a utility pole near the building, sparking a fire that destroyed the store completely.
HIgh on the Hill: Pioneers in a Gray Market
For nearly 50 years, High on the Hill had been a touchstone in Cincinnati’s counterculture. Like other head shops of its era, it lived in a careful gray area. Despite a wide selection of cannabis accessories, patrons and staff couldn’t openly talk about the products’ intended uses. Pipes were always labeled “for tobacco use only” and you couldn’t utter the word “bong” inside.
But those who knew, knew. The shop offered glass “water pipes,” rolling papers, smoke-trapping gadgets, kratom, grow lights, incense, candles, tie-dye and hemp clothes, tarot decks, sex toys, and eventually hemp-derived THC products made legal by the 2018 Farm Bill. It was a veritable emporium of counter-culture.
High on the Hill Opened in 1978
Randy Gray opened the High on the Hill smoke and novelty shop in 1978 near Anderson Township when he was 25 years old. His daughter, Amber Gray, who worked at the shop for more than two decades, told WCPO that the fire was a crushing blow. “Insurance isn’t going to cover everything, unfortunately. I mean, it’s a total loss,” she said. “We’ve had so many people pull up … people come and tell us their stories … the first time they bought something there … it’s really heart-warming.”
While the damage is extensive, Randy (now in his 70s) is considering whether to rebuild. But more importantly, he is raising money to support the 6 staff members that are suddenly out of work. You can learn more and donate to the cause here.
Amber’s words echoed what we felt standing at the rubble at the site. High on the Hill wasn’t just a store—it was a rite of passage for generations of east side Cincinnatians. Smelling the still-aromatic wafts of incense from the blaze, we couldn’t help but think about how these shops were the bridge the between prohibition and legalization. They kept the culture alive while Ohio worked its way toward adult-use cannabis laws, which only became a reality in 2023.
End of an Era for Head Shops
The fire at High on the Hill comes on the heels of similar losses. The Cupboard at 2613 Short Vine Street in Clifton was noted as Ohio’s oldest smoke shop, but announced last year it would closed its doors after 76 years. Founded in 1948 as a five and dime, The Cupboard had been a fixture for University of Cincinnati students. Elsewhere in Cincinnati, the Hemptations franchise born in Cincinnati in 1995 has just one shop open now, located in Northside at 3844 Spring Grove Ave.
Together, the loss of these shops mark the fading of a certain kind of local business in Ohio and throughout the country. Independent head shops have overwhelmingly been squeezed out by online glassware retailers, franchise vape stores, and the steady expansion of regulated licensed cannabis dispensaries.
While today Ohioans can buy cannabis legally at lots of places, we can’t overlook the role head shops played in keeping cannabis culture alive through decades of prohibition. Even “smoke shops” still in operation today often carry much more mainstream retail, vape/cigar/tobacco focused, rather than the old-school “head shop” aesthetic of tie-dyes, hemp accessories, incense, glass, etc.
Keeping the Culture Alive
For those who have a pang of nostalgia for the head shops of Ohio, there are still a few around. More noted for its glass, Headie’s Hideout has become a popular spot in Columbus and in Akron, Quonset Hut has been seeing customers since 1969.
If you care about your local Ohio head shop, make sure to give them your patronage before they disappear.
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