Modifications to Ohio’s voter-approved adult-use hashish legislation proposed in a invoice launched this week by Home Republicans are much less excessive than these handed by the state Senate.
Nevertheless, the proposed enterprise restrictions, social fairness program elimination, THC efficiency limits and penalties are nonetheless a “slap within the face to the 57 p.c of Ohio voters who accredited” legalization in November 2023, NORML stated in an announcement.
Home Invoice 160, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Brian Stewart, would additionally prohibit the sale of merchandise with hemp-derived THC to licensed marijuana shops and dispensaries, in keeping with the Statehouse Information Bureau.
As well as, the invoice would:
Cap the variety of marijuana shops allowed statewide at 350.
Impose a buffer zone of a half-mile between licensed retailers.
Allow Ohio marijuana regulators to reject enterprise purposes to stop “oversaturation” in anybody space.
Ban public marijuana consumption.
Enable landlords to ban hashish consumption in a rental property.
Restrict THC to a most of 35% in flower and 70% in concentrates.
Scale back, then get rid of, a tax fund put aside for municipalities with marijuana shops.
Although the measure would get rid of social fairness provisions, together with a jobs fund, it could maintain in place the power to expunge marijuana-related offenses.
Stewart stated in an announcement that his invoice “respects the need of the voters by preserving the core, adult-use marijuana options of Subject 2 whereas including affordable protections for Ohio kids and addressing intoxicating hemp merchandise that violate the spirit of that poll initiative.”
After the Ohio Senate accredited SB 56 on Feb. 26 on a partisan vote, the state’s Democratic senators referred to as the measure “step one in Ohio Republicans’ plan to manage the hashish trade to demise.”
