DeWine, Senate want Ohio's medical dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana

Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine backs a plan to allow the state's medical marijuana dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana to those 21 and older and allow Ohioans to grow six marijuana plants at home.

But those changes won't take effect by midnight when recreational marijuana becomes legal in Ohio.

The proposed changes come a month after Ohio voters legalized marijuana, 57-43%, and became the 24th state to do so. The reforms were part of a slew of revisions the Ohio Senate proposed and passed in a 28-2 vote Wednesday evening.

However, the Ohio House of Representatives will not approve the bill immediately.

Among the proposed Senate changes:

  • Limit the number of marijuana plants to six per household, which is less than 12 permitted under Issue 2. The Senate previously proposed axing home grow entirely.

  • Keep the maximum amount of THC at 35% for plant material and reduce it from 90% to 50% for extracts. Sen. Bill Blessing, R-Colerain Township, said that reduction would empower the illicit market, but he voted for the bill anyway.

  • Tax marijuana sales at 15% with the option of counties adding an additional 3% tax. An earlier proposal to tax cultivators was removed.

  • Expunge convictions for possessing 2.5 ounces of marijuana or less. Individuals would need to file an application with a court.

  • Bans advertising that targets children and requires kid-safe packaging.

  • Apply the public smoking ban to marijuana as well.

The bill would take effect 90 days after it's enacted − not immediately. That means Ohioans can smoke marijuana legally on Thursday, but there will be no legal place to purchase it.

That's why DeWine and lawmakers want the changes to pass as soon as possible.

"We understand that we have to protect that access to products while also not allowing the black market to get a head start on the legal market," said Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon. "It is our intention to allow the legal market to go into effect as soon as possible."

DeWine, who voted against Issue 2 and opposes marijuana legalization, said the voters' will would be respected with these changes.

“I would prefer no home grow," DeWine said. "What's in this bill much exceeds what a person would be able to consume themselves."

Lawmakers in the Ohio House and Senate previously introduced dueling bills on whether Ohioans can grow marijuana at home, how much THC is permitted in products and how high taxes will be. The Ohio Senate initially proposed axing home grow entirely but pulled back from that idea after massive opposition.

Negotiations are playing out amid an internal fight over who will lead the Ohio House of Representatives next. And many lawmakers in the Ohio House of Representatives are in no rush to pass anything.

"I don't think we're going to see anything agreed to by the two chambers (Wednesday)," said Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Concord, who introduced House Bill 354 to preserve home grow and THC levels approved by voters while increasing the tax rate and changing where some of that tax money goes. "I think it's important as public officials that we listen to what the voters said."

House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said the Senate changes are better than what they initially introduced, but not where Ohio needs to be. "The status quo is this adult-use marijuana is going to be legal at midnight tonight, and I think our first priority is we have to protect the will of the voters."

This story will be updated.

E.W. Scripps School of Journalism's Statehouse News Bureau fellow Kayla Bennett contributed reporting.

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Senate proposes allowing dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana

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