CLEVELAND – On Feb. 26, the Ohio Senate approved a bill that proposes major revisions to the recreational cannabis law overwhelmingly supported by voters in Nov. 2023. Senate Bill 56 passed the Senate with a 23-9 vote, and will now proceed to the Ohio House, which has crafted its own revisions to the law which are less drastic, for further deliberation.

Led by Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), the Ohio Senate bill would overhaul Issue 2, a recreational marijuana initiative that received 57% of the vote. If enacted, SB 56 would change key components of a program that backers believe corrects past injustices around cannabis prohibition.

Ohio Green Wednesday Cannabis SalesFor example, the bill would remove a social equity and jobs program designed to provide licensing opportunities for minority-owned businesses. It also creates new penalties for people who smoke or vape marijuana while riding in a vehicle.

Other notable alterations to the original program include:

  • Reducing the maximum number of home grown marijuana plants in a single residence from 12 to six;
  • Prohibiting the possession of marijuana purchased out-of-state;
  • Reducing the maximum THC content in cannabis extracts from 90% to 70%.

While the bill’s latest version does not include provisions for raising taxes on recreational cannabis, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s newly proposed budget, currently being heard in the Ohio House, increases the tax on marijuana from 10% to 20%.

Industry supporters expected some pushback on Ohio’s rec program, though the scale of the purported changes is still a gut punch, said Tim Johnson, a former law enforcement officer who advised Ohio legislature in the run-up to the Issue 2 vote.

“SB 56 is creating a new era of prohibition, and creating new penalties when we’re supposed to be getting by that,” said Johnson. “You can’t share a joint with a spouse, or smoke on your own patio. The rules for possession go even further than what we have now in the current criminal codes.”

Huffman’s legislation allows for expungement of marijuana-related convictions that were made legal under Issue 2, although applicants must pay a $50 filing fee. In addition, the bill would consolidate the state’s medical and recreational cannabis programs into the Division of Cannabis Control, and limit the numbers of licensed dispensaries within Ohio’s borders to 350.

Johnson is disappointed that initiatives created within the parameters of Issue 2 – including the social equity program – may not be given a chance to succeed.

“(Lawmakers) said we’re not satisfied, so we’ll do those laws for you,” Johnson said. “They’re telling people they don’t care you voted – that your mistake was making this into an initiative that could be revised.”
Read more at Cleveland Scene.