Ohio Senate Votes to Strip Down Voter-Backed Cannabis Legalization Law

The Ohio Senate this week passed a bill to override parts of the state’s voter-backed cannabis legalization law, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

The bill — which was passed Wednesday by Senate Republicans in a 23-9 party-line vote — would implement many changes to the state’s cannabis law, including:

• Limiting cannabis home grows from 12 plants to 6 plants,
• Removing the industry’s social equity and jobs program,
• Implementing stricter THC potency caps on adult-use products, including a 35% cap on flower and 70% cap on concentrates,
• Creating a mandatory 3-day jail sentence for anyone who smokes or vapes cannabis while riding in a vehicle,
• Reducing cultivation space for the state’s largest licensed cultivators,
• Capping cannabis dispensaries in the state at 350,
• And giving new powers to the CDC to regulate cannabis advertisements.

Republican lawmakers said the provisions would help prevent illicit cannabis activities without affecting consumers’ legal right to access cannabis. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats argue that the proposal amounts to legislative overreach on an issue that was already decided by voters.

“We’re now trying to take away the rights of people by making lots of things that are legal today illegal, should this bill become law.” — State Sen. Bill DeMora (D), via The Columbus Dispatch

The proposal moves next to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Ohio voters approved the current cannabis law in 2023. The state’s adult-use cannabis market officially launched last year, and Ohio dispensaries sold $255 million worth of products in the first six months.