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Recreational marijuana officially on November election ballots in Ohio
By Sarah Donaldson, 2 days ago
WOWK 13 News
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COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Ohioans will vote this fall on whether to legalize recreational marijuana, Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced Wednesday evening.

The initiated statute will join an abortion rights constitutional amendment and local elections — such as Columbus’ election for mayor and city council — on the Nov. 7 ballot.

The statute generally seeks to legalize “adult-use” sale, purchase and possession of cannabis for Ohioans who are 21 and older. Under the text of the proposed law, Ohioans could also grow a small number of plants in their homes. More information about the proposal in its entirety is available here .

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After being told it was short on signatures to get a statute on the ballot in late July, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol said Aug. 3 it submitted thousands of supplemental signatures to the secretary of state’s office. Those were verified over the last two weeks, confirming the coalition had gathered enough signatures to meet the mark for the fall ballot.

Initially, the coalition submitted 222,198 signatures. At least 124,046 of those had to be verified by Ohio county’s boards of elections, which the coalition was just shy of, so under Ohio law, it had 10 days to collect additional names.

When it came time to resubmit, the coalition sent in 6,459 additional signatures — 4,405 of which were rendered valid by county boards of election.

“We are grateful to the thousands of Ohioans who helped us get to this point and are excited to bring our proposal to regulate marijuana like alcohol before Ohio voters this coming Election Day,” coalition spokesperson Tom Haren said in a statement.

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Close to 59% percent of likely Ohio voters, responding to a recent Suffolk University/USA Today poll , said they would vote in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana. Only 6.6% were undecided, with 34.8% against the issue.

If the issue passes, the state plans to levy a 10% adult-use tax on all marijuana sales in addition to the state’s sales tax. Some of the tax revenue would go toward equity and jobs programs, according to the proposed law’s text.

The coalition has received close to $2.96 million in contributions as of July, according to its latest campaign finance filing. As of that filing, however, it only had about $9,500 in cash on hand. Its biggest donor, so far, is the Marijuana Policy Project — a Washington D.C.-based national organization pushing for marijuana policy overhauls.

Before the initiative was even approved to appear on the November ballot, a coalition against recreational marijuana emerged. It includes the Ohio chapters of the Children’s Hospital Association, Association of Chiefs of Police, and Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, among several other organizations.

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The coalition, Protect Ohio Workers and Families, said Wednesday that the proposed law won’t make the state better, instead only enriching “corporate” marijuana.

“Expanding access to this addictive drug brings even more risks to Ohioans, especially for employers who prioritize a safe workplace but already struggle to find workers who can pass a drug test,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

The issue made it onto the ballot as an initiated statute rather than a constitutional amendment, so the state legislature has the ability to amend the proposal if it passes into law in November. Legislators could even vote to overturn it in its entirety.

Ohio would be the 24th state to legalize recreational marijuana.

Sad part is the little man won’t be opening the corner pot sop any time soon. And that additional tax is BS.

I guess my question is, can folks grow it at home in the spare bedroom or only "Big Biz" can grow it and sell it to the consumers?

I think that's a reasonable question.

That remains to be seen, I would bet no.

"The proposal would legalize the cultivation, processing, sale, purchase, possession, home growth, and use of recreational marijuana for adults 21 years of age and older. Adults would be authorized to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and 15 grams of concentrates. Persons can grow up to six plants at home or 12 per household. "

However, the language in House Bill 523, which legalized cannabis for medical use in 2016, prohibited "home grown". Concerns of "safety" were cited. I expect the powers-that-be will invoke the same language and forbid growing at home, should the bill pass.


Anyway, here's some more info:

2023 Will be a Pivotal Year for Cannabis in Ohio

2023 is just getting started, and already there have been important developments in Ohio involving cannabis with the promise of much more to come. Secretary of State Frank LaRose got things started on January 3 when he submitted a proposal to the Ohio General Assembly from the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol legalizing the use of marijuana in Ohio. This fulfilled the terms of a court settlement with the Coalition, who tried to get its proposal on the 2022 General Election ballot but ended up in litigation over technicalities. The proposal would legalize the cultivation, processing, sale, purchase, possession, home growth, and use of recreational marijuana for adults 21 years of age and older. Adults would be authorized to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and 15 grams of concentrates. Persons can grow up to six plants at home or 12 per household. In addition to the existing sales tax, a 10% tax would be levied on adult use sales, the revenues from which would be devoted to various social equity and addiction programs and governmental regulatory functions. Under the terms of the settlement, the legislature has four months to adopt the measure. Once the deadline for legislative passage expires on May 3, the Coalition will be free to collect petition signatures to put the measure before the voters this fall, and per the settlement terms, signatures collected last year will count toward the signature requirements for 2023.

Also introduced in January was Senate Bill 9, sponsored by Senators Steve Huffman and Kirk Schuring. If enacted in current form, the bill would make major changes to Ohio’s Medical Marijuana program. The bill creates a new state agency within the Ohio Department of Commerce called the Division of Marijuana Control to regulate the program. In his Executive Budget, currently being deliberated by the Ohio House as House Bill 33, Governor DeWine also proposes to transfer the responsibilities of the Board of Pharmacy relating to medical marijuana dispensaries, dispensary employees, patients, and caregivers to the Department of Commerce. Under SB 9, a 13-member commission would oversee the Division and the program, with commissioners being granted lifetime appointments to be made by the governor and legislative leaders. This would consolidate the oversight functions currently fulfilled by Commerce, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board of Ohio. SB 9 would also add autism spectrum disorder, arthritis, migraines, chronic muscle spasms and opioid use disorder as qualifying conditions for the use of medical marijuana. The bill further includes a “catch all” that would allow any condition that a physician identifies as qualifying. Many other changes to current law are also proposed, including expanding the permissible forms of medical marijuana that may be dispensed to include pills, capsules and suppositories, oral pouches, oral strips, oral or topical sprays, salves, lotions and inhalers, eliminating the existing lottery in favor of a merit-based system for reviewing new applicants for licensure, and expanding the scope of permissible activity amongst all of the licensing levels, It is expected that the bill will be amended as it progresses through the General Assembly.

Ohio has started to roll out its expanded medical marijuana dispensary program with the winners of RFAII being announced in 2022. Upwards of 70 new dispensary licenses were awarded to a myriad of applicants, drastically expanding the retail footprint of medical marijuana throughout the state. As 2023 has begun, several provisional licensees have earned their certificates of operation, but a number of awardees have yet to open their doors, leaving many to wonder what the state regulators will do in terms of enforcing the requirement to obtain a certificate of operation with 270 days from receiving a provisional license. With February come and gone, that 270-day period has lapsed and unless awardees have received variances from that requirement, we could theoretically see the state regulators decide to rescind license awards (though that would be a significant enforcement action, but one well within the control of the state regulators to do).

Federal legislation under consideration would also impact Ohio if enacted. The Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act (SAFE Act) would permit banks to do business with cannabis companies operating legally within states that have legalized marijuana. It has passed the US House seven times, only to die in in the Senate, most recently at the end of 2022. This is despite bi-partisan support for the legislation. With support only growing for marijuana legalization and for normalizing banking in the cannabis industry, it’s a safe bet that the SAFE Act will re-emerge in this new Congress in some form. Whether it will pass is another question.

The 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp at the federal level, will expire in 2023. The 2018 Farm Bill defined industrial hemp as any derivative of the Cannabis sativa L. plant that contains less than 0.3% delta-9 THC. It’s expected that there will be efforts to increase that threshold to 1% as a way to alleviate pressure on hemp producers from unwittingly breaching the low THC limit. Indeed, many hemp advocates are asking that the 1% threshold be applied to all hemp derived cannabinoids including Delta-8 THC. No matter what, the 2023 Farm Bill will no doubt be the subject of intense lobbying by the hemp industry and other stakeholders. The outcome will affect Ohio.


https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/2023-will-be-a-pivotal-year-for-9518255

I believe the answer is in the text of the OP

Ohio Marijuana Law Has Created A ‘Goofy Situation,’ Governor Says, With Legal Possession But No Place To Buy ItPublished 1 day ago on January 22, 2024By Ben Adlin

Ohio’s governor says the state’s current marijuana law—under which it is now legal for adults to grow, possess and consume but with no place to purchase regulated cannabis—has created a “goofy situation” and “real mess” in light of the fact that retailers aren’t expected to open for business until at least the end of this year.

“It’s legal to consume marijuana. It’s legal to grow marijuana. But you can’t buy the seeds and you can’t buy the marijuana,” Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said Thursday in a media interview. “All this is doing is fostering a bigger black market, because people think they can buy it legally, and you’re seeing advertising that is being done.”

DeWine proposed allowing the state’s existing medical dispensaries to begin selling marijuana to all adults, not just registered medical patients—a change that would need to be made by state lawmakers.

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“Give us the authority to start selling marijuana in the state of Ohio, and the way that we would have to do it, to start with at least, is to do the medical dispensaries,” he said. “We could do that and probably turn that on within about 60 days after the legislature passes an initiative.”

DeWine himself campaigned against the legalization ballot measure that voters approved last year, though he acknowledged it “passed with a good margin—57 percent of the vote.” Going forward, he said, “we should be able to have what the people asked for, and I think what the people asked for is to be able to buy marijuana where it is regulated.”

DeWine also pointed to “other issues that probably have to be resolved” around cannabis legalization, including how state tax revenue will be spent.

“We just need the House and the Senate to get back together to start talking about this, and let’s get a bill that we can move forward on,” he added.


The governor said he supports a plan passed last month by Senate lawmakers that would allow sales to begin “immediately” through medical dispensaries, though even if that plan proceeds, it will likely take months before sales begin.

Cannabis advocates have pushed back against some other provisions of the Senate plan, which would also decrease the household cap for home-grown marijuana, impose new THC limits, restrict public consumption and reallocate tax revenue, among other changes to the voter-passed law.

A separate House bill is considered more palatable to reformers, as it would make less sweeping changes to what voters approved. However, it would ban sharing marijuana between adults, add a cultivator tax and similarly make several changes to the tax revenue distribution.

Who comes up with this stuff??

I wonder if we'll be allowed to share a plate of cookies after we've smoked our individual joints?

#puffpuffpassgotojail

It was passed. No additional regulation needed. The government needs to learn to just step the heck back and take their hands off.

There should be no household caps.
There should be no arbitrary THC limits.
The "no sharing" thing is asinine.
Public consumption should be the same as alcohol.
It should be taxed the same as alcohol with the funds allocated the same.

Which was all that was ever asked for, hell that was the actual name of the coalition!


Too simple, eh?

An update.....

TONY LANGE | JULY 19, 2024

Editor’s note: This article was updated July 19 to include comments from Pure Ohio Wellness, one of the companies to receive dual-use licensure for both its cultivation and processing operations.

Ohio’s adult-use cannabis market is officially up and running—well, at least for four cultivators and six processors.

The state’s Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) issued the first batch of dual-use certificates of operation to these businesses on July 19, providing them the green light to start supplying the state’s commercial adult-use marketplace.

Another 31 cultivators, 36 processors, seven testing laboratories and 133 dispensaries in the provisional licensing queue remain next in line for certificates. Before issuing final licensure, the DCC must determine whether these businesses meet final requirements—from security/surveillance systems to employee badging to point-of-sale systems.

While it will take a little longer for the Buckeye State to start firing on all cylinders across the supply chain, the first batch of certificates issued Friday marks a crucial step toward the program becoming fully functional. The DCC has clarified that it intends to convert cultivators, processors and testing labs to dual-use licensure—to operate in both the medical and adult-use programs—before dispensaries.

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The first batch of dual-use certificates included Youngstown, Ohio-based Riviera Creek Holdings, which began operating in the state’s medical market in January 2019.

Riviera Creek’s 75,000-square-foot cultivation and processing facility has nearly 20,000 square feet of canopy. Approximately 5,000 square feet of that canopy was added on after Ohio voters approved the state’s adult-use initiative in November, CEO Daniel Kessler told Cannabis Business Times.

“We have approximately 5,000 [square feet] more currently under construction, which will be operational during 2024,” he said. “We have additional expansion plans for 2025 and 2026 to fill the remainder of the building. We have added about 20 full-time positions since the initiative passed. That trend will continue as the additional capacity is added.”

The company received notification this week that the DCC approved its application for a dual-use certificate of operation to enter the adult-use market.

“Riviera Creek is thrilled to earn a dual-use license and looks forward to providing its top-tier products to adults across the state of Ohio,” Kessler said.

The DCC also approved dual-use certificates of operation for Pure Ohio Wellness, which operates a 53,000-square-foot cultivation and processing facility in Springfield, just outside of Dayton. The facility includes 25,000 square feet of canopy.

The company, which has operated in Ohio’s medical market since November 2018, also has licensed dispensaries in Dayton and London.

“It means a lot to us,” Pure Ohio Wellness Chief Operating Officer Tracey McMillin told CBT about being among Ohio’s first cultivators and processors to receive dual-use licensure. “We have been ready for a few months to start providing our products to the medical and recreational customers in Ohio, and this brings us one step closer.”

In anticipation of the adult-use marketplace, Pure Ohio Wellness increased its flower production by building out its current flower, vegetative and mother rooms with vertical grow racks, McMillin said, doubling the company’s production capacity.


“We have been approved for a total of 100,000 square feet of canopy and are currently in the pre-construction phase of the first step of our expansion plan, which is a 30,000-square-foot facility that will house nine more flower rooms with fertigation, another propagation area as well as a new packaging and quality control area, shipping and some storage space,” she said. “This will allow us to utilize some of the packaging space in our current facility to allow for growth in our processing lab as well as more than double our flower production.”


Following is a list of the 10 cultivators and processors included in the DCC’s first dual-use certificates of operation batch:

Business Type City County
Pure Ohio Wellness Level I Cultivator Springfield Clark
Green Thumb Industries Level I Cultivator Toledo Lucas
Klutch Cannabis Level I Cultivator Akron Summit
Farkas Farms Level II Cultivator Grafton Lorain
Riviera Creek Processor Youngstown Mahoning
One Orijin Processor Columbus Franklin
Green Thumb Industries Processor Toledo Lucas
Pure Ohio Wellness Processor Springfield Clark
Klutch Cannabis Processor Akron Summit
FN Group Processor Ravenna Township Portage
What Does This Mean?

Dual-use businesses must continue to comply with all packaging and labeling requirements under the state’s medical cannabis rules for cultivators and processors, as well as general advertising rules and marketing and signage rules, until final rules are adopted under the adult-use program, according to the DCC.

Once cultivators or processors are issued a dual-use certificate of operation, they must begin using their new dual-use license number and affix the DCC seal on any new packaging and labeling printed after the issuance of the dual-use license. The seal must be on the front of the packaging, a minimum of 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch and printed in color, according to the DCC.

“This seal benefits entities licensed by the Division of Cannabis Control by distinguishing licensee products from other unlicensed, unregulated products, and helps protect patients and consumers who can know by seeing this seal on packaging that the product is tested and regulated,” according to DCC guidance.



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