Proponents are nearing legalization of recreational marijuana for adults in Ohio

• Cannabis advocates got the green light to collect signatures for a petition to legalize marijuana in Ohio.

• Meanwhile, Ohio lawmakers have also introduced laws to legalize marijuana.

• Both proposals allow the sale and possession of marijuana by adults 21 and older.

• There is great confidence that despite opposition from the governor, voters will legalize marijuana in Ohio.

Marijuana Advocacy, the coalition to regulate marijuana like alcohol, has received the go-ahead from the Attorney General’s office. You can now collect signatures to propose a move to state lawmakers to legalize marijuana in Ohio.

The coalition officially launched its election efforts last month. The AG office initially rejected the summarizing language of an earlier version. The Ohio Ballot Board has already approved the proposed statute.

Lawyers must now collect 132,887 signatures from registered voters in Ohio to legally file the proposal with the state legislature. If the coalition collects all 132,887 signatures for the bill, lawmakers have four months to initiate or reject the bill.

If the legislature rejects or revises the measure, the proponents of the measure must collect an additional 132,887 signatures before putting the measure on the 2022 ballot.

What does the Ohio marijuana legalization petition say?

When the proposed law goes into effect, people 21 and older will be allowed to own, use, buy, and grow cannabis. The new law would also ensure that 10 percent of the proceeds go towards addiction rehabilitation, educational programs, and communities with cannabis businesses.

In addition, the proposed initiative gives municipalities the power to restrict or ban marijuana companies in their jurisdiction.

A cannabis control department would also be set up at the Department of Commerce when the move is initiated. The department would have the authority to “license, regulate, investigate and punish cannabis operators, test laboratories for adult use and persons who require a license”.

The proposal would give existing medical marijuana companies a significant head start in the recreational market. Qualified applicants who own or operate medical marijuana businesses would be licensed for adult use. The licenses would have to be issued within nine months of the entry into force of the new legislation.

The DCC is required to issue 50 Ohio marijuana dispensary licenses for adults and 40 licenses for recreational growers. These licenses are “given preferentially to applicants who are participants in the Cannabis Social Justice and Employment Program”. In addition, two years after the approval of the first operator, additional leisure licenses are issued by the supervisory authorities.

Ohio Rep. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson, a co-sponsor of the proposal, spoke to WHIO-TV. According to Weinstein, the bill’s authors combined the best marijuana legalization laws written in states like Washington.

One of the benefits of the bill, Weinstein said, is that it could prove to be a financial godsend for the state. According to Weinstein, $ 1.1 billion “will go back to communities that host pharmacies. For K-12 schools and veteran programs. “

Legalizing marijuana would not only generate much-needed tax revenue, it would save the state millions in law enforcement costs related to enforcing marijuana laws. Additionally, millions of dollars currently being spent on black market marijuana or in Michigan up north would stay in the state and help the economy.

Another co-sponsor, Rep. Terrence Upchurch, D-Cleveland, says decriminalizing marijuana and implementing social justice programs is the right thing to do to end the failed war on drugs and the damage it wreaked, particularly on minority communities has to make amends. The law could result in the overturning of tens of thousands of low-level marijuana convictions.

Upchurch said, “I represent one of the poorest counties, mostly African American, who can’t get student loans, can’t get jobs, and those low convictions are 30 years old. There are beliefs that prevent them from returning to society and being productive citizens. ”

Legal Efforts to Legalize Marijuana in Ohio

Late last month, in a pioneering move, Ohio lawmakers officially passed law to legalize the production, sale, and possession of marijuana in Ohio.

The law would allow adults 21 and older to legally own up to five ounces of marijuana. The move would also allow adults to grow up to 12 plants for personal use.

The proposal also aims to overturn previous convictions of ownership and cultivation – crimes that will be legalized when the new law gets the green light.

Similar to the CTRMLA initiative, this bill also provides for an excise tax of 10 percent on cannabis sales. The proposal takes administrative costs into account. According to the proposal, all income will be split between:

• Communities with a marijuana dispenser (15%)

• Counties with a business (15%),

• K-12 training (35%)

• Infrastructure (35%)

Decriminalizing Marijuana in Ohio

Currently, 22 cities in Ohio have decriminalized marijuana. Local laws significantly reduce the penalties for cannabis possession from a criminal offense that can result in imprisonment and a fine to the “lowest sentence allowed under state law.”

Cannabis advocates and activists are also seeing similar policy changes in dozen of cities this year and have garnered enough signatures to qualify for local votes.

Opposition to marijuana legalization in Ohio

Unsurprisingly, Republican Governor Mike DeWine is likely to oppose the bill. Proponents, however, are optimistic that a voter-led initiative will succeed.

Effects of Recreational Marijuana Legalization on the Ohio Cannabis Industry

If lawmakers were to pass the bill, it could result in Ohio’s medical marijuana companies being automatically licensed for recreational use.

In a step-by-step step, Cresco Labs, based in Chicago, plans to expand a marijuana cultivation and processing facility in Ohio. The multi-state operator is optimistic and plans to invest $ 40 million in Ohio’s fast-growing cannabis market. Their optimism is undoubtedly due to the emerging measures to legalize adults.

Local authorities are behind Cresco’s plan and project for the company to triple the size of its Yellow Springs facilities. Yellow Springs is part of the greater Dayton area. The facility will consist of a 71,000 square foot grow center and 24,000 square foot processing facility, according to the Dayton Business Journal.

The medical marijuana market in Ohio is expected to grow more than 50 percent this year, with sales expected to be between $ 350 million and $ 425 million in 2021, according to the MJBizFactbook.

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