Ohio GOP Seeking to Change Voter-Approved Adult-Use Cannabis Law

Republican lawmakers in Ohio are seeking to make changes to the 2023
cannabis legalization law approved by voters by the end of June, the Ohio
Capital Journal reports. Lawmakers are considering two bills that, if
combined, would make dozens of changes to cannabis access, limit THC
content, and potentially limit home cultivation.

House Bill 160 would cap THC levels in concentrates at 70%, only allow 350
adult-use dispensaries statewide, and reallocate the bulk of
cannabis-derived tax revenues to the state’s General Revenue Fund. Senate
Bill 56 would reduce the number of cannabis plants adults could grow at
home from 12 to six, prohibit cannabis use in public and potentially
sharing among adults, and eliminate the social equity and jobs programs
included in the voter-approved law.

Republicans have not yet come to an agreement but House Finance Chair Brian
Stewart, who sponsored the House bill, told the Journal that lawmakers are
“Generally trying to get to a place that more people support.”

House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D) said Democrats in the state “want
to make sure that the will of voters is protected” and “that the use of
that revenue is upheld.”

The Senate bill passed the chamber 23-9 in February, while the House bill
was referred to the Judiciary Committee in March.