Columbus, OH: Legislation modifying the state’s voter-approved adult-use marijuana law has stalled ahead of lawmakers’ summer recess.
Lawmakers recently cancelled a pair of scheduled votes on a substitute version of Senate Bill 56 after legislators raised numerous concerns about its language. In recent months, NORML has generated over 17,000 messages to lawmakers opposing the bill.
The amended bill makes numerous changes to existing law, including placing a cap on the total number of state-licensed cannabis retailers permitted statewide, imposing THC potency limits, and criminalizing the possession of any marijuana products obtained from out of state. It also prohibits the sale of hemp-derived intoxicating products in outlets other than state-licensed dispensaries.
Fifty-seven percent of Ohio voters approved Issue 2 in 2023. Regulators implemented the law as written in 2024, following a failed attempt by some of the state’s leading Republicans to pass legislation that would have gutted many of its key provisions.
Additional information is available from NORML’s Take Action Center.