Ohio’s bipartisan lawmakers have introduced a bill to legalize pot, giving the legislature the opportunity to lead the reform while an activist campaign seeks to put a reform measure on the ballot in November.
Reps. Jamie Callender and Casey Weinstein introduced the Ohio Adult Use Act. The act combines and refines previous legalization proposals, which the lawmakers pursued on a separate political basis last session.
The bill allows adults over 21 to possess and purchase up to 50 grams cannabis, and to cultivate six plants for personal use, of which only three can be fully matured at a time.
The courts will be able expunge the records of people who have certain marijuana possession or cultivation convictions.
The tax on marijuana products will be 10 percent. Revenues from the tax will go to K-12 education, localities who allow dispensaries to open in their areas, substance abuse treatment, law enforcement to combat illegal drug trafficking, and to the general fund of the state.
“We are really in danger of Ohio falling behind.” Weinstein said in a Marijuana Moment phone interview that Ohio had already fallen behind its neighboring states and the public’s opinion on this issue. “It is not a partisan issue. The public is there. “It’s time to move on.”
The regional dynamics could be a factor in advancing the issue, as states such as Illinois and Michigan have already legalized marijuana and Minnesota is on the verge of ending prohibition after the passage of the reform measure by the legislature this month. Recently, bipartisan senators in Ohio announced that they would be teaming up to create a cannabis legalization law.
After lawmakers failed to act by the deadline, a campaign is underway to secure a place on the November ballot. is actively collecting signatures to ensure that the issue will be on the ballot in November after lawmakers refused to pass the legalization bill in the first few months of the session in 2023.
Weinstein stated that “nothing motivates the legislative body quite like a ballot measure.” “I would prefer to do this through legislation, the scalpel of legislation rather than the sledgehammer that is the ballot. But either way, the time will come.”
He said that the prospect of a referendum is “an absolute motivation in terms of legislation, compromise and allowing citizen input.” I hope that will motivate my colleagues to act.”
The state’s Medical Marijuana Control Program, which is currently in place, would be expanded under the newly-filed legislation to include both the medical and recreational market. The Division of Marijuana Control would fall under the Ohio Department of Commerce.
Callender stated that the program will be expanded to include all Ohioans. “We will not only build on best practices from across the country, but we’ll also use the lessons learned in Ohio,” Callender explained in an press release. Ohio can take advantage of this opportunity by developing its cannabis industry.
Callender, who had sponsored a separate law to tax and regulate marijuana for 2021, had previously cast doubt on the prospects of a legislative reform. He indicated that he believed this issue would be decided ultimately by the voters due to the recalcitrance shown by the legislature.
The new bill was referred to House Finance Committee , which heard the earlier measures of both sponsors in late last year.
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Ohioans made it clear during recent elections that they are ready for a change in policy. More than 30 localities in Ohio have decriminalized marijuana through local ballots.
In November of last year, voters in five other cities also approved local marijuana decriminalization initiatives. voters in Helena also enacted reform during the primary election held this month.
The conservative legislature is considering major changes to the medical cannabis program in this session, even though they may have missed the deadline to pass legislation on adult-use marijuana.
Also, Gov. Mike DeWine , a Republican, signed in January a criminal justice reform law that allows cities to facilitate mass expungements of people with drug-related convictions. This includes marijuana possession up to 200 grams.
The mayor of Cleveland announced in April, after the law became effective, that the city would be moving ahead with plans for sealing thousands of cannabis records.
Where Donald Trump, the presidential candidate, stands on marijuana
Photo by Philip Steffan.
The post Ohio Lawmakers File New Marijuana Bill as Activists Collect Signs to Put Issue on November Ballot first appeared on Marijuana Minute.
