A host of changes proposed by the Ohio legislature to heavily modify the voter-approved adult-use cannabis laws, plus a doubling of the cannabis tax, could seriously impact the Ohio cannabis market and drive more consumers to Michigan, experts contend.
On Feb. 26, the Ohio Senate approved a bill that proposes major revisions to the adult-use 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 adult-use 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.
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 adult-use cannabis programs into the Division of Cannabis Control, and limit the numbers of licensed dispensaries within Ohio's borders to 350.
Read more at MI Tech News