Home Political News Cannabis Legalization Up to Ohio Voters in November

Cannabis Legalization Up to Ohio Voters in November

0
Cannabis Legalization Up to Ohio Voters in November

After submitting a measure to the state legislature at the beginning of 2022, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) had hoped lawmakers would take cannabis legalization seriously. They collected 132,887 valid signatures from Ohio voters to require the state legislature to either approve, reject, or amend their proposed recreational cannabis legalization measure. 

Under the measure, adults 21 and over could possess up to 2.5 ounces of recreational cannabis. Adults can also possess up to 15g of cannabis concentrates. Additionally, each person could grow up to six cannabis plants for their own personal use, with a max of 12 plants per household. A recreational cannabis sales market would become established, and run by the new Division of Cannabis Control under the Department of Commerce. Each recreational cannabis sale would incur 10 percent cannabis tax and would split several ways to help various programs and entities across Ohio. 

Legislation Halt

However, the Republican-controlled legislature refused to even discuss the CTRMLA measure submitted. This effectively rejected the measure, pushing it back to the organization. Now, CTRMLA must collect an additional 132,887 in order to bypass the legislature and put their measure directly onto the 2022 ballot in November. 

Following the Ohio legislature not taking up CTRMLA’s measure, Representative Ron Ferguson, R, spoke about lawmaker’s failure to even bring up the topic. Ferguson said he would “like to see us have a legislative solution” and “really get accomplished within the statehouse. “I’m fearful that the folks in the statehouse are looking at more of a five-year-and-beyond plan,” the lawmaker said. Instead

Other Recreational Cannabis Legalization Bills

CTRMLA aren’t the only people pushing for legalization through ballot measures and bills. Two separate recreational cannabis legalization bills were submitted for the 2022 session. And for each of them, it appears neither will receive a vote before the bill dies. 

First comes from Representative Ron Ferguson and Representative Jamie Callender, R, as HB 498. This bill would create a much more restricted recreational cannabis market than under the CTRMLA measure. But it would still be a way to legalize recreational cannabis in Ohio. 

The second bill, HB 382, comes from Representatives Casey Weinstein, D, and Terrence Upchurch, D. This bill isn’t as open as CTRMLA’s, but it does offer a bit more options than HB 498. 

Future of Recreational Cannabis in Ohio

There is a definite split, with only a slight majority of voters in favor of recreational cannabis. This past November, 14 cities in Ohio voted on decriminalizing the possession of cannabis. And they split right down the middle. Seven approved decriminalization proposals and the other seven rejected them. While activists remained positive at the approvals, others fear it could spell disaster for the CTRMLA proposal. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest. 

Make sure to check back for more cannabis, hemp, and psychedelic related news.