Law OHIO MMJ

[bulllee]

NEWS BRIEF

Chided for diversity, Ohio gets female minority-led medical marijuana firm​

Published 4 hours ago



A Black woman is believed to be the first minority female to open a vertically integrated medical marijuana company in Ohio, marking a step toward a more diverse cannabis industry in the state.
Ariane Kirkpatrick, CEO and majority owner, recently launched Harvest of Ohio in Columbus, the state’s capital city.

The company also operates Harvest Grows and Harvest Processing, and its website lists two more retail locations “coming soon,” in Athens and Beavercreek.
Kirkpatrick’s opening of Harvest of Ohio comes at a time when legislators have been critical about the lack of diversity in the state’s legal MMJ industry.
“As a black businesswoman, I have overcome years of obstacles to arrive at this moment, entering this new and rapidly evolving cannabis industry,” Kirkpatrick said in an Aug. 20 news release.
“Our majority-minority partnership allowed my entire team to gain valuable insight required to commence operations. ”
She told Cleveland TV station WJW this week that her license was originally granted in 2017.
Medical cannabis sales in Ohio are projected to reach $350 million-$425 million this year, according to the 2021 MJBizFactbook.

 

[Fat Freddy]

NEWS BRIEF

Chided for diversity, Ohio gets female minority-led medical marijuana firm​

Published 4 hours ago



A Black woman is believed to be the first minority female to open a vertically integrated medical marijuana company in Ohio, marking a step toward a more diverse cannabis industry in the state.
Ariane Kirkpatrick, CEO and majority owner, recently launched Harvest of Ohio in Columbus, the state’s capital city.

The company also operates Harvest Grows and Harvest Processing, and its website lists two more retail locations “coming soon,” in Athens and Beavercreek.
Kirkpatrick’s opening of Harvest of Ohio comes at a time when legislators have been critical about the lack of diversity in the state’s legal MMJ industry.
“As a black businesswoman, I have overcome years of obstacles to arrive at this moment, entering this new and rapidly evolving cannabis industry,” Kirkpatrick said in an Aug. 20 news release.
“Our majority-minority partnership allowed my entire team to gain valuable insight required to commence operations. ”
She told Cleveland TV station WJW this week that her license was originally granted in 2017.
Medical cannabis sales in Ohio are projected to reach $350 million-$425 million this year, according to the 2021 MJBizFactbook.

One of those locations is about 30 minutes from my home and the other in the beautiful city of Athens, the home of one of my Alma Maters, Ohio University.

GO BOBCATS!!!

 

[momofthegoons]

More Than A Dozen Ohio Cities Will Vote On Marijuana Decriminalization Ballot Measures Next Month​

Voters in more than a dozen Ohio municipalities will decide on ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana next month.

As it stands, 22 jurisdictions across the state have already adopted local statues effectively decriminalizing cannabis possession, some of which have been passed by voter initiatives while others were adopted by city councils.

Now, activists have succeeded in collecting enough signatures to qualify cannabis proposals for the November ballot to reduce the local punishment for low-level marijuana possession to the “lowest penalty allowed by state law,” which is zero days in jail and a fine of zero dollars.

The initiatives will go before voters in Brookside, Dillonvale, Laurelville, Martins Ferry, McArthur, Morristown, Mount Pleasant, Murray City, New Lexington, New Straitsville, Powhatan Point, Rayland, Tiltonsville and Yorkville.

NORML Appalachia of Ohio and the Sensible Marijuana Coalition also sought to qualify reform initiatives in dozens more cities and villages this year, but not every effort made it across the finish line. In those places where petitioning efforts fell short this cycle, the advocates say they’ll try again in future elections.

“This gets easier each time,” Don Keeney, an activist with the NORML chapter who has been involved in efforts for several election cycles, told Marijuana Moment. “We get better as we do more.”

Meanwhile, a separate campaign recently cleared a final hurdle to begin collecting signatures for a 2022 ballot initiative to legalize marijuana statewide.

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) launched its ballot effort in July. And the attorney general certified the measure in August after his office rejected summary language of an earlier version.

Ohio voters rejected a 2015 legalization initiative that even some reform advocates opposed because of its oligopolistic model that would’ve granted exclusive control over cannabis production to the very funders who paid to put the measure on the ballot.

Advocates suspended a subsequent campaign to place a measure on the 2020 ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic.

For this year, some of the 14 local measures that activists qualified for ballots read, simply, “Shall [jurisdiction] adopt the Sensible Marihuana Ordinance, which lowers the penalty for misdemeanor marijuana offenses to the lowest penalty allowed by State Law?”

But others, such as the ballot question in New Straitsville, are lengthier and spell out changes to local statutes, specifying that “if the amount of the drug involved is less than two hundred grams, possession of marihuana is a minor misdemeanor drug abuse offense” and that “persons convicted of violating this section shall be fined $0.00.”

The same zero-dollar fine would also apply to cultivating less than 200 grams worth of cannabis or possessing less than ten grams of solid hashish or less than two grams of liquid hashish. Gifting less than 20 grams of marijuana would also be covered, as would possessing or selling cannabis paraphernalia. Finally, the measure specifies that court costs for violations of any of the sections of the measure would also be set at zero dollars.

Meanwhile, addition to targeting Ohio cities for local reform measures, the Sensible Marijuana Coalition is also expanding its efforts to cover West Virginia and South Carolinaas well.

Looking ahead to 2022, Ohio isn’t the only state where voters could see cannabis reform on the ballot.

Nebraska marijuana activists last week began petitioning for a pair of complementary initiatives to legalize medical cannabis that they hope to place on the state’s 2022 ballot.

Florida activists recently filed a ballot measure to legalize marijuana for adult use.

South Dakota marijuana activists are now ramping up for a signature gathering effort to put marijuana legalization on the 2022 ballot as the state Supreme Court continues to consider a case on the fate of the legal cannabis measure that voters approved last year.

New Hampshire lawmakers are pursuing a new strategy to legalize marijuana in the state that involves putting a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot for voters to decide on in 2022.

Lawmakers in Maryland are also crafting legislation to place a marijuana legalization referendum on the 2022 ballot after the House speaker called for the move.

Missouri voters may see a multiple marijuana initiatives on the state’s ballot next year, with a new group filing an adult-use legalization proposal that could compete with separate reform measures that are already in the works.

Arkansas advocates are collecting signatures to place adult-use marijuana legalization on the ballot.

Activists in Idaho are working to advance separate measures to legalize possession of recreational marijuana and to create a system of legal medical cannabis sales. State officials recently cleared activists to begin collecting signatures for a revised initiative to legalize possession of marijuana that they hope to place before voters on the 2022 ballot. Meanwhile, a separate campaign to legalize medical cannabis in the state is also underway, with advocates actively collecting signatures to qualify that measure for next year’s ballot.

After a House-passed bill to legalize marijuana in North Dakota was rejected by the Senate in March, some senators hatched a plan to advance the issue by referring it to voters on the 2022 ballot. While their resolution advanced through a key committee, the full Senate blocked it. However, activists with the group North Dakota Cannabis Caucus are collecting signatures to qualify a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis for the 2022 ballot.

Oklahoma advocates are pushing two separate initiatives to legalize marijuana for adult use and overhaul the state’s existing medical cannabis program.

Wyoming’s attorney general recently issued ballot summaries for proposed initiatives to legalize medical marijuana and decriminalize cannabis possession, freeing up activists to collect signatures to qualify for the 2022 ballot.

And it’s not just marijuana measures that reform activists are seeking to qualify for state ballots next year. A California campaign was recently cleared to begin collecting signatures for an initiative to legalize psilocybin. And advocates in Washington State have announced plans to put a proposal to decriminalize all drug before voters.

 

[momofthegoons]

Voters In Seven Ohio Cities Approve Marijuana Decriminalization Ballot Measures, With Seven Others Defeated​

Voters in more than a dozen Ohio cities had the chance to weigh in on marijuana reform on their ballots on Tuesday, and seven of those jurisdictions ultimately approved local measures to decriminalize cannabis.

Going into Election Day, 22 jurisdictions across the state had already adopted local statueseffectively decriminalizing possession, some of which have been passed by voter initiatives while others were adopted by city councils.

In most of the municipalities where marijuana was on the ballot this week, the text of the proposal simply said, “shall [jurisdiction] adopt the Sensible Marihuana Ordinance, which lowers the penalty for misdemeanor marijuana offenses to the lowest penalty allowed by State Law?”

Others were lengthier and spelled out changes to local statutes, specifying that “if the amount of the drug involved is less than two hundred grams, possession of marihuana is a minor misdemeanor drug abuse offense” and that “persons convicted of violating this section shall be fined $0.00.”

Voters in Martins Ferry, Murray City, New Lexington, New Straitsville, Rayland, Tiltonsvilleand Yorkville approved the decriminalization proposals.

Meanwhile, voters in Brookside, Dillonvale, Laurelville, McArthur, Morristown, Mount Pleasant and Powhatan Point rejected the reform measures.

The police department in McArthur made headlines last month by circulating—and then deleting from Facebook—a press release from the chief saying that cannabis decriminalization could be the beginning of “a downhill tumble” for society.

Meanwhile, NORML Appalachia of Ohio and the Sensible Movement Coalition also sought to qualify reform initiatives in dozens more cities, towns and villages this year, but not every effort made it across the finish line by the signature gathering deadline. In those places where petitioning efforts fell short this cycle, the advocates say they’ll try again in future elections.

“The initiatives will reduce penalties for misdemeanor marijuana offenses to the lowest allowed by state law, allowing the municipalities to focus on more pressing issues in their communities,” the local NORML chapter said in a press release. “This new citizens’ law is now shared by almost 3,000,000 residents of Ohio, with more communities already scheduled for 2022.”



Don Keeney, an activist with NORML, said Tuesday’s overall result “clearly shows support is gaining.”

“Usually low turnouts favor conservatives views,” he told Marijuana Moment, noting that the highest turnout in the jurisdictions with cannabis on the ballot this year that he saw was just 9 percent.

“Yet despite this we still managed to win,” he said. “The losses we had were very close 55 percent to 45 percent. Had the turnout been better we would have won there too.”

Meanwhile, a separate campaign recently cleared a final hurdle to begin collecting signatures for a 2022 ballot initiative to legalize marijuana statewide.

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) launched its ballot effort in July. And the attorney general certified the measure in August after his office rejected summary language of an earlier version.

Ohio voters rejected a 2015 legalization initiative that even some reform advocates opposed because of its oligopolistic model that would’ve granted exclusive control over cannabis production to the very funders who paid to put the measure on the ballot.

Advocates suspended a subsequent campaign to place a measure on the 2020 ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Separately, a pair of Ohio Republican lawmakers recently filed a bill to legalize cannabis, breaking from the norm of Democrats leading the charge on reform in the state.

In July, Democratic lawmakers in Ohio formally introduced a bill to legalize marijuana possession, production and sales—the first effort of its kind in the state legislature.

 

[momofthegoons]

Ohio Marijuana Activists Almost Have Enough Signatures To Force Lawmakers To Consider Legalization​

Ohio activists say they will have enough signatures to force the legislature to consider legalizing marijuana by the end of this month. And a lawmaker who is sponsoring a separate reform proposal feels the citizen-led effort could help build momentum for a legislative approach to ending prohibition.

At an event hosted by Ohio State University’s (OSU) Drug Enforcement and Policy Center on Friday, panelists discussed the legalization ballot proposal being spearheaded by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA), as well as a reform bill that Rep. Casey Weinstein (D) introduced this summer.

While it’s only been a few months since Ohio officials cleared the campaign to collect signatures for its measure, CTRMLA spokesperson Tom Haren said that the initial wave of signature gathering “will be completed probably about the end of November.”

The measure that legislators would then be required to consider would legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for adults 21 and older, and they could also have up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates. Individuals could grow up to six plants for personal use, with a maximum 12 plants per household.

Activists must collect 132,887 valid signatures from registered voters for the statutory initiative during this first phase of the effort. If they succeed, the legislature will then have four months to adopt the measure, reject it or adopt an amended version. If lawmakers do not pass the proposal, organizers will then need to collect an additional 132,887 signatures to place the proposal before voters on the ballot in November 2022.

Haren said the primary plan is to get lawmakers to adopt the reform. “To be clear, we’re not really focusing at all about a ballot campaign,” he said.

Rather, activists are “laser-focused as a coalition on engagement with the legislature because we think, and are confident, that once our proposal was firmly within the General Assembly’s hands and it’s something that they have to deal with, that we can move the needle and maybe get some robust and vigorous debates within the legislature on the topic of marijuana reform.”

“It seems like Republicans are more favorable on this issue than we might give Republicans credit for,” he said. “Speaking as a Republican, it’s not terribly surprising to me because it comes down to this is an inevitability. I think most people recognize that.”

To that point, a pair of Ohio Republican lawmakers announced a new bill to legalize cannabis last month. Also, a legislative survey released earlier this month found that Republican lawmakers in the state are more supportive of legalizing marijuana than their Democratic colleagues are.

Weinstein’s Democratic-led reform bill is another option at the legislature’s disposal. And he said during the panel discussion that the ballot campaign could spur lawmakers to take the issue more seriously.

“I’ll start by saying we’ve reached a tipping point,” the legislator said. “We’ve reached a tipping point where we’re almost at a point where the majority of Americans live in decriminalized or fully legalized states.”

“I’d love to get this done legislatively. It doesn’t mean that I don’t in any way support the ballot initiative,” Weinstein said. “I think an initiated statute is a great way to go because voters want this and, a lot of times, the voters want things and the legislature is holding them back and this is a situation where we’re behind where Ohioans are.”



“The initiated statute provides the urgency for the legislature to take this up,” he continued. “If we want to have a say as elected officials in what this looks like—it just so happens that my bill and even the Republican bill mirror fairly closely the framework of the the ballot initiative—but that is the ultimate reason for us to move forward and do this through the legislative process.”

As it stands, Weinstein’s legislation has been referred to the House Finance Committee, and so he recommended that supporters reach out to leadership on that panel to make their voices heard about the need to advance this reform.

“We weren’t meeting for quite a while over the summer when we filed the bill. There’s a big backlog of legislation,” he said. “We’re about to start on the capital budget. It’s crowded, right? So that kind of energy and momentum behind it can help. hearing from people on both sides of the aisle can really help us make the case things like this.”

Shaleen Title, CEO of the Parabola Center and a former Massachusetts marijuana regulator who now serves as a distinguished cannabis policy practitioner in residence at OSU, also participated in the panel on Friday.

She said that the Ohio ballot measure and Weinstein’s legislation “reflect a lot of learning between 2012 and now,” referring to when states first started legalizing marijuana.

“I think I would say my my big headline reaction from looking at the proposals is that it’s great to see social equity acknowledged,” she said. “But I think we could do a lot more at this point in 2021 to implement the lessons that we’ve learned especially in places like Massachusetts and California.”

In particular, she raised concerns about giving existing medical cannabis businesses a leg up in the recreational market as a barrier to new entrants’ success. She also suggested that equity applicants be provided with not just licensing set asides but also access to legal and accounting services and technical assistance to help them launch.

Further demonstrating the appetite for reform in Ohio, voters in seven cities approved ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana possession during this month’s election.

Meanwhile, Ohio senators recently filed a bill to expand the state’s medical cannabis program, in party by allowing physicians to recommend marijuana if they “reasonably” believe it could benefit the patient.

 

[momofthegoons]

Ohio Activists Prove Local Marijuana Decriminalization Initiative Had Enough Signatures To Make Ballot After Recount​

Ohio marijuana activists have successfully proved that they turned in enough valid signatures to put a local decriminalization initiative before Kent voters after having missed the 2021 ballot due to a verification error on the part of county officials.

The Portage County Board of Elections initially told the Sensible Marijuana campaign that they were four signatures short of qualifying the measure to be voted on earlier this month. But activists were skeptical and did their own investigation, ultimately finding that officials incorrectly marked several signatures as invalid.

Mark Brown, a law professor at Capital University, had the idea to reach out to people whose submissions were deemed invalid and have them complete affidavits affirming that they had, in fact, signed a petition in support of placing cannabis reform on the local ballot.

After an independent review, the board announced last month that the campaign had gathered 815 valid signatures, about 10 more than what’s required to secure ballot placement, as The Portager first reported.

The plan at this point is for the elections board to notify the Kent City Council of its findings and see how the local lawmakers want to move forward. They could put the measure before voters at a future election, pass an ordinance legislatively that reflects the Sensible Marijuana initiative or take no action and likely face a legal challenge.

If officials do opt to put the initiative on the ballot, it’s not clear when voters will get the chance to decide on it. Some advocates say it could appear on a May primary ballot, but others think it might need to wait until next November’s general election or perhaps for a separate special election to be held earlier in the year.



Kent was one of several Ohio cities that activists targeted for last month’s election. Voters in seven cities passed the measures, effectively decriminalizing personal marijuana possession.

Twenty-nine jurisdictions across the state have now already adopted local statues effectively decriminalizing possession, some of which have been passed by voter initiatives while others were adopted by city councils.

In most of the municipalities where marijuana was on the ballot last month, the text of the proposal simply said, “shall [jurisdiction] adopt the Sensible Marihuana Ordinance, which lowers the penalty for misdemeanor marijuana offenses to the lowest penalty allowed by State Law?”

Others were lengthier and spelled out changes to local statutes, specifying that “if the amount of the drug involved is less than two hundred grams, possession of marihuana is a minor misdemeanor drug abuse offense” and that “persons convicted of violating this section shall be fined $0.00.”

If Kent does end up enacting decriminalization—either at the ballot or legislatively—it appears it will face some resistance from law enforcement.

Police Chief Nicholas Shearer took issue with the amount of marijuana that would be decriminalized (up to 200 grams) and said people found to be possessing more than two ounces (57 grams) would likely face trafficking charges.

“Regardless of what decriminalization efforts take place here locally in Kent, possession of marijuana is still a violation of state law, and our officers will still be expected to enforce that state law,” he told The Portager.

Advocates are actively pursuing reform at the state level as well, with one campaign saying they will soon have enough signatures to force the legislature to consider legalizing marijuana.

A lawmaker who is sponsoring a separate reform proposal feels the citizen-led effort could help build momentum for a legislative approach to ending prohibition.

While it’s only been a few months since Ohio officials cleared the campaign to collect signatures for its measure, Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol spokesperson Tom Haren said recently that the initial wave of signature gathering “will be completed probably about the end of November.”

The measure that legislators would then be required to consider would legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for adults 21 and older, and they could also have up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates. Individuals could grow up to six plants for personal use, with a maximum 12 plants per household.

Activists must collect 132,887 valid signatures from registered voters for the statutory initiative during this first phase of the effort. If they succeed, the legislature will then have four months to adopt the measure, reject it or adopt an amended version. If lawmakers do not pass the proposal, organizers will then need to collect an additional 132,887 signatures to place the proposal before voters on the ballot in November 2022.

Separately, a pair of Ohio Republican lawmakers announced a new bill to legalize cannabisin October. Also, a recent legislative survey found that Republican lawmakers in the state are more supportive of legalizing marijuana than their Democratic colleagues are.

Meanwhile, Ohio senators recently filed a bill to expand the state’s medical cannabis program, in part by allowing physicians to recommend marijuana if they “reasonably” believe it could benefit the patient.

 

[momofthegoons]

Ohio GOP Lawmakers File New Marijuana Legalization Bill​

A pair of Ohio Republican lawmakers on Thursday filed a bill to legalize marijuana in the state. The move comes as activists are nearing completion of the first phase of their signature drive for a cannabis legalization initiative.

Reps. Jamie Callender (R) and Ron Ferguson (R) first announced their plan to push the legislative reform proposal in October and circulated a co-sponsorship memo to build support for the measure. Now they’re moving ahead with formal introduction of the “Ohio Adult Use Act.”

The bill would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 50 grams of cannabis. They could also grow up to six plants, only three of which could be mature, for personal use.

Gifting up to 25 grams of marijuana between adult consumers without remuneration would also be permitted.

Adult-use cannabis products would be taxed at 10 percent. After covering administrative costs, tax revenue would be distributed as follows: 50 percent to the state general fund, 25 percent to combat illicit drug trafficking and 25 percent for substance misuse treatment programs.

The state Department of Commerce would be responsible for regulating the new adult-use marijuana and existing medical cannabis program and issuing business licenses through a new Division of Marijuana Control.

Regulators would be limited to approving one retail cannabis dispensary license per 60,000 residents in the state up until January 1, 2027. After that point, the department would would be required to review the program on “at least a biennial basis” to see if more licensees are needed.

The legislation does not contain specific provisions to promote social equity by expunging prior cannabis convictions or prioritizing licensing for communities most impacted under prohibition. That’s despite Callender saying in October that there would be a pathway for expungements “for folks that have prior convictions that would be not illegal after the passage of this bill.”

A spokesperson in the lawmaker’s office told Marijuana Moment that while those components weren’t included in this introduced version, “it is still the plan to add any needed language on the subject once we get it to committee.”

“Conversations on modifications are continuing but with Thanksgiving here and the end of the year approaching, we wanted to get the ball rolling with introduction,” he said.

There is at least one equity-related provision to require regulators to conduct a study prior to issuing adult-use licenses “to determine whether there has been prior discrimination in the issuance of marijuana-related licenses in this state, including whether the effects of marijuana prohibition have contributed to a lack of participation by racial or ethnic minorities in the medical marijuana industry in this state.”

If the study does find evidence of discrimination, the department “shall take necessary and appropriate actions to address and remedy any identified discrimination when issuing licenses.”

Under the bill, employers would still be able to enforce anti-drug policies without accommodating workers who use cannabis in compliance with the state law.

The measure would also expand the amount of acreage that licensed cultivators could use to grow cannabis from what is allowed now under the medical marijuana program.

Further, the legislation includes a section that would have the state formally endorse a congressional bill to deschedule marijuana that’s sponsored by Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH).

A separate state legalization bill that was the first of its kind to be introduced in the Ohio legislature earlier this year would similarly legalize the possession, sale and cultivation of cannabis by adults. It’s being championed by Reps. Casey Weinstein (D) and Terrence Upchurch (D), and it does include expungement provisions.

A recent legislative survey found that Republican lawmakers in the state are more supportive of legalizing marijuana than their Democratic colleagues are.

But leadership in the legislature, as well as Gov. Mike DeWine (R), will likely present obstacles for any recreational legalization bill that advances.

House Speaker Robert Cupp (R) laughed when he was asked about Callender’s legislation after its initial announcement, though he added, “Let’s just see where it goes. I haven’t read it yet.”

Callender said that although Republican legislative leaders and the governor are not yet on board, “there is more bipartisan support than most people would think.”

Meanwhile, Ohio activists recently said that they would have enough signatures to force the legislature to consider legalizing marijuana by the end of November. And Weinstein said he feels the citizen-led effort could help build momentum for a legislative approach to ending prohibition.

While it’s only been a few months since Ohio officials cleared the campaign to collect signatures for its measure, Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol spokesperson Tom Haren said that the initial wave of signature gathering “will be completed probably about the end of November.” There’s yet to be an announcement as to whether they succeeded in that timeline.

The measure that legislators would then be required to consider would legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for adults 21 and older, and they could also have up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates. Individuals could grow up to six plants for personal use, with a maximum 12 plants per household.

Activists must collect 132,887 valid signatures from registered voters for the statutory initiative during this first phase of the effort. If they succeed, the legislature will then have four months to adopt the measure, reject it or adopt an amended version. If lawmakers do not pass the proposal, organizers will then need to collect an additional 132,887 signatures to place the proposal before voters on the ballot in November 2022.

Further demonstrating the appetite for reform in Ohio, voters in seven cities approved ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana possession during last month’s election.

Ohio marijuana activists have also successfully proved that they turned in enough valid signatures to put a local decriminalization initiative before Kent voters after having missed the 2021 ballot due to a verification error on the part of county officials.

Separately, Ohio senators recently filed a bill to expand the state’s medical cannabis program, in party by allowing physicians to recommend marijuana if they “reasonably” believe it could benefit the patient.

 

[momofthegoons]

Ohio Senate Approves Bill To Allow Medical Marijuana For Any Patient Who Can ‘Reasonably Be Expected’ To Benefit​

The Ohio Senate approved a bill on Wednesday that would dramatically expand the state’s medical marijuana program by allowing doctors to recommend cannabis for patients who can “reasonably be expected” to benefit from it, in addition to making other changes.

Sen. Steve Huffman (R) is sponsoring the legislation, which cleared the chamber in a 26-5 vote. The bill—which is one of several cannabis reform proposals that have been introduced in the legislature this session—will now go to the House for consideration.



The measure bill also seeks to streamline the regulatory structure of Ohio’s medical marijuana system. It would do that in part by creating a Division of Marijuana Control within the Department of Commerce to oversee the program, which is currently regulated by the Board of Pharmacy.

“This bill is not about if we have a medical marijuana program in Ohio, but it’s about making it business friendly and improving on what we did five years ago,” Huffman said on the floor on Wednesday. “This bill was a result of an immense work, hard work, by medical providers, patients and industry advocates.”

“The time has come to make some improvements to the program in an effort to streamline rules and regulations,” he said. “It is my hope that the legislation will bring free-market principles to highly regulated businesses.”

Under the measure, the division would be tasked with licensing at least one retail dispensary for every 1,000 patients “up to the first 300,000 registered patients and then adding additional retail dispensaries on an as-needed basis,” according to an analysis.



Dispensaries would also be allowed to advertise, including on social media, without receiving approval from the division.

A new “standalone processor” licensing category would be established. And there would be “two levels of cultivator licenses, with level I cultivating up to 50,000 square feet and level II cultivating up to 6,000 square feet.”

The bill would also make it so dispensaries could sell a wide array of cannabis products, including pills, oral sprays, lotions and “similar items.” Further, the THC limit for concentrates would be increased from 70 to 90 percent.

Doctors could also issue medical marijuana recommendations via telemedicine.

Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko (D), a cosponsor of the bill, said on Wednesday that he continues to “hear from people all over the place where people thanked us for what we did here in the Ohio General Assembly in bringing medical products—but you know, we’ve got so much so much farther to go.”

“We don’t treat it like medicine. We still treat it like it’s a joke, and it’s not a joke,” he said. “It’s got the potential to stop children from having another seizure, the next seizure we know could cause permanent brain damage or death. It will stop Afghanistan veterans coming back from war, having PTSD. It can help our parents and our grandparents and maybe people my age from having stomach cancers and such that could put us in such excruciating pain they don’t want to live anymore.”

Meanwhile, a pair of Ohio Republican lawmakers filed a bill this month to legalize marijuana for adult use in the state.

Reps. Jamie Callender (R) and Ron Ferguson (R) first announced their plan to push the legislative reform proposal in October and circulated a co-sponsorship memo to build support for the measure.

The bill would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 50 grams of cannabis. They could also grow up to six plants, only three of which could be mature, for personal use.

Further, the legislation includes a section that would have the state formally endorse a congressional bill to deschedule marijuana that’s sponsored by Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH).

A separate state legalization bill that was the first of its kind to be introduced in the Ohio legislature earlier this year would similarly legalize the possession, sale and cultivation of cannabis by adults. It’s being championed by Reps. Casey Weinstein (D) and Terrence Upchurch (D), and it does include expungement provisions.

A recent legislative survey found that Republican lawmakers in the state are more supportive of legalizing marijuana than their Democratic colleagues are.

But leadership in the legislature, as well as Gov. Mike DeWine (R), will likely present obstacles for any recreational legalization bill that advances.

House Speaker Robert Cupp (R) laughed when he was asked about Callender’s legislation after its initial announcement, though he added, “Let’s just see where it goes. I haven’t read it yet.”

Callender said that although Republican legislative leaders and the governor are not yet on board, “there is more bipartisan support than most people would think.”

These moves come as activists are nearing completion of the first phase of their signature drive for a cannabis legalization initiative.

The measure would force legislators to consider a proposal to legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for adults 21 and older, and they could also have up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates. Individuals could grow up to six plants for personal use, with a maximum 12 plants per household.

Activists must collect 132,887 valid signatures from registered voters for the statutory initiative during this first phase of the effort. If they succeed, the legislature will then have four months to adopt the measure, reject it or adopt an amended version. If lawmakers do not pass the proposal, organizers will then need to collect an additional 132,887 signatures to place the proposal before voters on the ballot in November 2022.

Further demonstrating the appetite for reform in Ohio, voters in seven cities approved ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana possession during last month’s election.

Ohio marijuana activists have also successfully proved that they turned in enough valid signatures to put a local decriminalization initiative before Kent voters after having missed the 2021 ballot due to a verification error on the part of county officials.

 

[momofthegoons]

Ohio Marijuana Activists Turn In More Signatures For Legalization Initiative After Temporary Setback​

Ohio marijuana activists said on Thursday that they turned in 29,918 more signatures for a legalization initiative after the state said their previous submission was insufficient. Now the campaign is “confident” they have enough to force lawmakers to take up the issue.

Last month, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) submitted what it thought were enough valid signatures to trigger the legislative review of legalization, but the secretary of state’s office said that too many were invalid and gave activists a small window to collect more.

CTRMLA spokesman Tom Haren told Marijuana Moment on Thursday that the group successfully rounded up the additional needed 13,000 signatures that were needed and will have “room to spare.”

“We feel confident that we will meet the signature requirements and look forward to the legislature taking up an issue that a majority of Ohioans support this year,” Haren said in a press release.

The measure that lawmakers would be required to consider would legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for adults 21 and older, and they could also have up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates. Individuals could grow up to six plants for personal use, with a maximum 12 plants per household.

Altogether, activists needed to collect 132,887 valid signatures from registered voters for the statutory initiative during this first phase of the effort.

If the required signatures are ultimately verified by county officials, the legislature will then have four months to adopt the measure, reject it or adopt an amended version. If lawmakers do not pass the proposal, organizers will then need to collect an additional 132,887 signatures to place the proposal before voters on the ballot in November 2022.

Under the measure, a 10 percent sales tax would be imposed on cannabis sales, with revenue being divided up to support social equity and jobs programs (36 percent), localities that allow adult-use marijuana enterprises to operate in their area (36 percent), education and substance misuse programs (25 percent) and administrative costs of implementing the system (three percent).

A Division of Cannabis Control would be established under the state Department of Commerce. It would have authority to “license, regulate, investigate, and penalize adult use cannabis operators, adult use testing laboratories, and individuals required to be licensed.”

The measure gives current medical cannabis businesses a head start in the recreational market. Regulators would need to begin issuing adult-use licenses to qualified applicants who operate existing medical operations within nine months of enactment.

The division would also be required to issue 40 recreational cultivator licenses and 50 adult-use retailer licenses “with a preference to applications who are participants under the cannabis social equity and jobs program.” And it would authorize regulators to issue additional licenses for the recreational market two years after the first operator is approved.

Individual municipalities would be able to opt out of allowing new recreational cannabis companies from opening in their area, but they could not block existing medical marijuana firms even if they want to add co-located adult-use operations. Employers could also maintain policies prohibiting workers from consuming cannabis for adult use.

Further, regulators would be required to “enter into an agreement with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services” to provide “cannabis addiction services,” which would involve “education and treatment for individuals with addiction issues related to cannabis or other controlled substances including opioids.”

With respect to social equity, some advocate are concerned about the lack of specific language on automatic expungements to clear the records of people with convictions for offenses that would be made legal under the legislation. That said, it does include a provision requiring regulators to “study and fund” criminal justice reform initiatives including expungements.

Ohio voters rejected a 2015 legalization initiative that faced criticism from many reform advocates because of an oligopolistic model that would’ve granted exclusive control over cannabis production to the very funders who paid to put the measure on the ballot.

Activists suspended a campaign to place another measure on the 2020 ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Aside from the new voter initiative, state lawmakers from both parties are separately working to advance marijuana reform.

A legalization bill that was the first of its kind to be introduced in the Ohio legislature last year would legalize the possession, sale and cultivation of cannabis by adults. It’s being championed by Reps. Casey Weinstein (D) and Terrence Upchurch (D).

A pair of Ohio Republican lawmakers similarly filed a bill to legalize marijuana in the state in December. Reps. Jamie Callender (R) and Ron Ferguson (R) first announced their plan to push the legislative reform proposal in October and circulated a co-sponsorship memo to build support for the measure.

There are also additional local reform efforts underway in Ohio for 2022.

After voters in seven cities approved ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana possession during last November’s election—which builds on a slew of previous local reforms in the state—campaigns are now looking to enact decriminalization in Marietta, Rushville, Rutland, Shawnee, McArthur and Laurelville.

Ohio marijuana activists already successfully proved that they turned in enough valid signatures to put a local decriminalization initiative before Kent voters after having missed the 2021 ballot due to a verification error on the part of county officials. That measure is now expected to go before voters this November.

 

[Fat Freddy]

All of us Buckeyes will get there yet! ; )

And btw, FUCK YOU, Gov. Dewine!

.

 

[Baron23]

Seems like they need a new Governor in Ohio.

DeWine says he opposes legalizing marijuana​

SANDUSKY — If Ohio legalizes marijuana this year, it will do so over the objections of Gov. Mike DeWine.​

The governor met Tuesday by Zoom with editorial board members and reporters for Ogden News and repeated his previously announced opposition to legalizing marijuana.

Given the problems caused by other substances, such as driving under the influence, “I think it’s ridiculous to add an additional problem,” DeWine said.

The governor said he is willing to consider a proposal in the Ohio General Assembly that would loosen the rules for medical marijuana.

Marijuana possession and use by adults has been legalized in 18 states and in the District of Columbia, including in Michigan.
Other states, including Ohio, allow medical marijuana under rules that vary widely. Ohio’s rules are relatively strict, but Oklahoma’s medical marijuana law is so liberal it comes close to full legalization.

Two bills have been submitted in the Ohio House to legalize marijuana, one authored by Republicans and the other by Democrats.

In addition, a legalization group called the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has submitted a petition signed by voters for a legalization process that potentially could take two steps.

The group is seeking to require the Ohio General Assembly to consider its legalization proposal. If lawmakers reject it, the group can submit a second petition to put its plan on the November general election ballot.

The Ohio Secretary of State’s office initially ruled that not enough valid signatures had been submitted. On Thursday, however, the group submitted an additional 29,918 signatures. If at least 13,062 are validated, the group’s proposal can move forward.

“We feel confident that we will meet the signature requirements and look forward to the legislature taking up an issue that a majority of Ohioans support this year,” said Tom Haren, a spokesman for the coalition. “We encourage the public to visit our website, JustLikeAlcohol.com, to learn more about the proposed statute.”

DeWine said he has two objections to legalizing marijuana, based on research he did when he went to Colorado, one of the first states to legalize marijuana.

One, it would result in more children being taken to emergency rooms after the kids have eaten gummy candies infused with marijuana, DeWine said.

Second, it seems likely there would be more driving under the influence automobile accidents.

“They are going to be coming at you. You are going to have more accidents, you are going to have more people killed,” he said.

DeWine said he would not sign a bill to legalize marijuana.

If the Ohio General Assembly passed a bill to legalize marijuana, DeWine apparently would have three choices: To sign it into law, to allow it to become law without his signature or to veto it.

Haren said he remains optimistic his group’s proposal could pass the Ohio General Assembly.

Haren said he hasn’t looked at the data for his marijuana legalization impacted Colorado but said that in general, legalization in U.S. states has not resulted in a rise in use by youths.

There isn’t a single case of an overdose of too much marijuana resulting in a death, Haren said.

“In that regard, marijuana is safer than a lot of other legal substances like alcohol,” Haren said. “The public knows legalizing marijuana for all adults is good policy.”

The governor said he might be willing to support expansion of medical marijuana.

Under current law, medical marijuana in Ohio only is available for a specific list of medical conditions. A bill being considered by the Ohio General Assembly, which has passed the Ohio Senate and now is before the Ohio House, would allow doctors to recommend marijuana for any medical problem.

DeWine said a “case certainly could be made” that if a doctor and patient believes marijuana would help a medical ailment, it ought to be allowed under a regulated system.

“We can probably work out something in regard to some expansion of medical marijuana,” he said.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Seems like they need a new Governor in Ohio.

DeWine says he opposes legalizing marijuana​

SANDUSKY — If Ohio legalizes marijuana this year, it will do so over the objections of Gov. Mike DeWine.​

The governor met Tuesday by Zoom with editorial board members and reporters for Ogden News and repeated his previously announced opposition to legalizing marijuana.

Given the problems caused by other substances, such as driving under the influence, “I think it’s ridiculous to add an additional problem,” DeWine said.

The governor said he is willing to consider a proposal in the Ohio General Assembly that would loosen the rules for medical marijuana.

Marijuana possession and use by adults has been legalized in 18 states and in the District of Columbia, including in Michigan.
Other states, including Ohio, allow medical marijuana under rules that vary widely. Ohio’s rules are relatively strict, but Oklahoma’s medical marijuana law is so liberal it comes close to full legalization.

Two bills have been submitted in the Ohio House to legalize marijuana, one authored by Republicans and the other by Democrats.

In addition, a legalization group called the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has submitted a petition signed by voters for a legalization process that potentially could take two steps.

The group is seeking to require the Ohio General Assembly to consider its legalization proposal. If lawmakers reject it, the group can submit a second petition to put its plan on the November general election ballot.

The Ohio Secretary of State’s office initially ruled that not enough valid signatures had been submitted. On Thursday, however, the group submitted an additional 29,918 signatures. If at least 13,062 are validated, the group’s proposal can move forward.

“We feel confident that we will meet the signature requirements and look forward to the legislature taking up an issue that a majority of Ohioans support this year,” said Tom Haren, a spokesman for the coalition. “We encourage the public to visit our website, JustLikeAlcohol.com, to learn more about the proposed statute.”

DeWine said he has two objections to legalizing marijuana, based on research he did when he went to Colorado, one of the first states to legalize marijuana.

One, it would result in more children being taken to emergency rooms after the kids have eaten gummy candies infused with marijuana, DeWine said.

Second, it seems likely there would be more driving under the influence automobile accidents.

“They are going to be coming at you. You are going to have more accidents, you are going to have more people killed,” he said.

DeWine said he would not sign a bill to legalize marijuana.

If the Ohio General Assembly passed a bill to legalize marijuana, DeWine apparently would have three choices: To sign it into law, to allow it to become law without his signature or to veto it.

Haren said he remains optimistic his group’s proposal could pass the Ohio General Assembly.

Haren said he hasn’t looked at the data for his marijuana legalization impacted Colorado but said that in general, legalization in U.S. states has not resulted in a rise in use by youths.

There isn’t a single case of an overdose of too much marijuana resulting in a death, Haren said.

“In that regard, marijuana is safer than a lot of other legal substances like alcohol,” Haren said. “The public knows legalizing marijuana for all adults is good policy.”

The governor said he might be willing to support expansion of medical marijuana.

Under current law, medical marijuana in Ohio only is available for a specific list of medical conditions. A bill being considered by the Ohio General Assembly, which has passed the Ohio Senate and now is before the Ohio House, would allow doctors to recommend marijuana for any medical problem.

DeWine said a “case certainly could be made” that if a doctor and patient believes marijuana would help a medical ailment, it ought to be allowed under a regulated system.

“We can probably work out something in regard to some expansion of medical marijuana,” he said.

Ohio is one of 35 or so states controlled by a GOP state legislature and...well...what more needs to be said in terms of cannabis legalization?

Senator Schumer, what the hell is holding you up, boy!?

.

 

[momofthegoons]

Ohio Lawmakers Will Be Forced To Consider Marijuana Legalization As State Validates Activist Signatures​

Ohio activists have collected enough signatures to force the legislature to take up the issue of marijuana legalization, the secretary of state’s office confirmed on Friday.

This comes about two weeks after the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) submitted a final round of signatures for the measure. The petitions’ formal validation triggers the legislative review of legalization, but it does not require lawmakers to enact the reform.

The legislature now has four months to consider the campaign’s cannabis reform proposal. Lawmakers can adopt the measure, reject it or pass an amended version. If they do not pass the measure, organizers can then collect an additional 132,887 valid signatures from registered voters to place the issue on the ballot in November.

CTRMLA previously submitted petitions for the initiative but the state said they were short some 13,000 signatures, requiring activists to go back and make up the difference.

“We are ready and eager to work with Ohio legislators over the next four months to legalize the adult use of marijuana in Ohio,” CTRMLA spokesman Tom Haren said in a press release. “We are also fully prepared to collect additional signatures and take this issue directly to voters on November 8, 2022, if legislators fail to act.”

The measure that lawmakers will be required to consider would legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for adults 21 and older, and they could also have up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates. Individuals could grow up to six plants for personal use, with a maximum 12 plants per household.

A 10 percent sales tax would be imposed on cannabis sales, with revenue being divided up to support social equity and jobs programs (36 percent), localities that allow adult-use marijuana enterprises to operate in their area (36 percent), education and substance misuse programs (25 percent) and administrative costs of implementing the system (three percent).

A Division of Cannabis Control would be established under the state Department of Commerce. It would have authority to “license, regulate, investigate, and penalize adult use cannabis operators, adult use testing laboratories, and individuals required to be licensed.”

The measure gives current medical cannabis businesses a head start in the recreational market. Regulators would need to begin issuing adult-use licenses to qualified applicants who operate existing medical operations within nine months of enactment.

The division would also be required to issue 40 recreational cultivator licenses and 50 adult-use retailer licenses “with a preference to applications who are participants under the cannabis social equity and jobs program.” And it would authorize regulators to issue additional licenses for the recreational market two years after the first operator is approved.

Individual municipalities would be able to opt out of allowing new recreational cannabis companies from opening in their area, but they could not block existing medical marijuana firms even if they want to add co-located adult-use operations. Employers could also maintain policies prohibiting workers from consuming cannabis for adult use.

Further, regulators would be required to “enter into an agreement with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services” to provide “cannabis addiction services,” which would involve “education and treatment for individuals with addiction issues related to cannabis or other controlled substances including opioids.”

With respect to social equity, some advocate are concerned about the lack of specific language on automatic expungements to clear the records of people with convictions for offenses that would be made legal under the legislation. That said, it does include a provision requiring regulators to “study and fund” criminal justice reform initiatives including expungements.

Ohio voters rejected a 2015 legalization initiative that faced criticism from many reform advocates because of an oligopolistic model that would’ve granted exclusive control over cannabis production to the very funders who paid to put the measure on the ballot.

Activists suspended a campaign to place another measure on the 2020 ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Aside from the new voter initiative, state lawmakers from both parties are separately working to advance marijuana reform.

A legalization bill that was the first of its kind to be introduced in the Ohio legislature last year would legalize the possession, sale and cultivation of cannabis by adults. It’s being championed by Reps. Casey Weinstein (D) and Terrence Upchurch (D).

A pair of Ohio Republican lawmakers similarly filed a bill to legalize marijuana in the state in December. Reps. Jamie Callender (R) and Ron Ferguson (R) first announced their plan to push the legislative reform proposal in October and circulated a co-sponsorship memo to build support for the measure.

There are also additional local reform efforts underway in Ohio for 2022.

After voters in seven cities approved ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana possession during last November’s election—which builds on a slew of previous local reforms in the state—campaigns are now looking to enact decriminalization in Marietta, Rushville, Rutland, Shawnee, McArthur and Laurelville.

Ohio marijuana activists already successfully proved that they turned in enough valid signatures to put a local decriminalization initiative before Kent voters after having missed the 2021 ballot due to a verification error on the part of county officials. That measure is now expected to go before voters this November.

 

[momofthegoons]

Ohio Senate Leader Rejects Recreational Cannabis Petition​

Ohio is rejecting a recreational cannabis petition proposed to the senate, and it looks like the state may not be ready to take the legal leap.

Ohio state Senate President Matt Huffman said last week that he will not act on a petition to legalize recreational cannabis and dared reform activists advancing the proposal to take the issue to voters in a statewide election. Huffman, one of the most powerful Republican lawmakers in Ohio and the leader of the GOP-controlled state Senate, told reporters that he would not bring the adult-use cannabis legalization proposal sponsored by the group the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol up for a vote.

“I don’t want anybody to misunderstand my position,” Huffman said, as quoted by the Columbus Dispatch. “I’m not going to bring it to the Senate floor. And if that means people want to go put it on the ballot, have at it.”

Last month, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced that the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol had submitted petitions with about 136,000 verified signatures from registered voters, more than enough to send the legalization proposal to lawmakers for consideration. Under Ohio law, the state legislature was then given four months to adopt the measure as it is written or pass an amended version.

If lawmakers fail to do so, the campaign can collect another 132,887 signatures to bring the proposal to voters via a ballot measure for this year’s general election. Tom Haren, a spokesman for the campaign, called on state lawmakers to approve the recreational marijuana legalization bid after LaRose announced on January 28 that the group had collected enough signatures to send the proposal to the legislature.

“We are ready and eager to work with Ohio legislators over the next four months to legalize the adult use of marijuana in Ohio,” Haren said in a statement. “We are also fully prepared to collect additional signatures and take this issue directly to voters on November 8, 2022, if legislators fail to act.”

Proposal Would Legalize Recreational Pot for Adults


If passed, the proposal from the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol would permit adults 21 and older to legally possess and purchase up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and up to 15 grams of concentrates. Adults would also be permitted to cultivate up to six cannabis plants at home, with a cap of 12 plants per household.

The measure would also levy a 10 percent tax on cannabis products. Revenue raised by the tax would be used to fund the administration of the cannabis program and shared with municipalities that agree to allow marijuana dispensaries to set up shop in their jurisdictions. Taxes would also fund substance abuse programs.

Huffman is not the only state GOP leader to publicly oppose the efforts to legalize pot for adults. Republican Governor Mike DeWine, who campaigned against a recreational cannabis legalization ballot as state attorney general in 2015, has said he will veto an adult-use cannabis bill if one reaches his desk.

“No, I think that’s a mistake,” DeWine said. “I think you change the culture, and you send a signal to kids … If it’s legal, every kid, the message is, it’s okay.”

And House Majority Leader Bill Seitz said that a bill to legalize recreational cannabis introduced by fellow Republicans is unlikely to be approved.

“I have not read the bill, but I am doubtful it could pass,” said Seitz. “My own bipartisan bill to allow medical marijuana for autism spectrum treatment still hasn’t even made it out of committee, and this newly proposed bill is a giant leap beyond that one.”

Haren said that he believes Republicans have declined to bring the campaign’s proposal up for a vote because they fear it will succeed.

“I sort of suspect that the reason folks in leadership are saying they don’t want to bring our proposal to the floor is that they suspect it will pass if it gets to the floor,” he said. “Otherwise, there would be no concern.”

 

[momofthegoons]

Ohio Lawmakers Advance Bill To Allow Medical Cannabis for Autism​

The proposal to permit patients with autism to use medicinal cannabis now heads to the state senate.

A bid in Ohio to allow patients with autism to be treated with medical cannabis gained momentum this week, with lawmakers in the state House overwhelmingly passing a bill on Wednesday.

The bill, sponsored by a Democrat and a Republican, passed by a vote of 73-13, according to Cleveland.com, and it will now move to the state Senate for consideration. (Republicans hold the majority in both chambers.)

“This bill is a direct result of the needs and wants of the people of Ohio who are on the autism spectrum,” said Democratic state House Rep. Juanita Brent, one of the co-sponsors of the bill. “It will help ensure legal access to a plant-based solution free from costly prescription medications or other outdated and sometimes harmful treatments.”

Should the measure ultimately become law, Ohio would join 17 other states that currently allow patients with autism to receive medical cannabis. Under the Buckeye State’s current medical marijuana law, patients with the following qualifying conditions may be eligible for the treatment: AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cachexia, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or another seizure disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, Huntington’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable, Parkinson’s disease, positive status for HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, Spasticity, spinal cord disease or injury, terminal illness, Tourette syndrome, traumatic brain injury, and ulcerative colitis.

The bill would also represent a long-awaited breakthrough for advocates who have tried unsuccessfully for years to add autism to the state’s list of qualifying conditions.

In 2020, the Ohio State Medical Board rejected a petition to include autism and anxiety among the qualifying conditions.

The board received public comments from opponents and supporters of the proposal. Sarah Kincaid of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association said at the time that the “inclusion of autism and anxiety as conditions has the potential to negatively impact the health and well being of thousands of children in Ohio.”

Carrie Taylor, a mother with two sons who have autism, expressed frustration back then and wondered if autism would ever be covered by the state’s medical cannabis law.

“Our voice is not being heard right now,” Taylor said at the time. “These doctors have this thought in their mind, and they’re obviously set in stone where they stand. We’re not trying to give them something that’s not legalized with other medical purposes.”

Brent, the sponsor of the bill that passed out of the House this week, said in January that “if the legislature does not address the public outcry for change, I know it will be brought to the ballot box.”

In addition to Brent’s bill, the Ohio state Senate passed its own bill in December that could also open up medical cannabis treatment to patients with autism.

Under that bill, which was brought forward by a GOP state senator and is now being considered by a state House committee, physicians in Ohio could “recommend marijuana for treatment for any condition if the physician, in the physician’s sole discretion and medical opinion, finds either of the following”: “that the patient’s symptoms may reasonably be expected to be relieved from medical marijuana” and “that the patient may otherwise reasonably be expected to benefit from medical marijuana.”

The bill would also explicitly add arthritis, migraines, autism spectrum disorder, spasticity or chronic muscle spasms, hospice care or terminal illness, and opioid use disorder to the list of qualifying conditions.

Should that bill become law, it would be the biggest change to Ohio’s medical cannabis program, which launched in 2016.

 

[Baron23]

Ohio regulators want 73 new medical marijuana dispensary licenses to address demand, more double current number​

Ohio medical marijuana regulators want to double the number of dispensary licenses in the state to satisfy patient demand, which has been much higher than anticipated since the program became operational.
Currently, there are 58 dispensaries throughout Ohio.
Ohio Board of Pharmacy staff are working on adding 73 new dispensary licenses, said Justin Sheridan, the board’s director of medical marijuana operations, at a Thursday cannabis discussion at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law.
That could bring the total number of dispensaries in Ohio to 131 or 132 – depending on the outcome of a court case that could create a 59th dispensary from the first round of dispensary licenses.
When Ohio’s first dispensaries opened in January 2019, regulators projected 12,000 to 24,000 patients in the first two years. They arrived at the estimate after looking at patient demand in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York.
By February 2021, two years in, there were 136,507 registered patients. Today, there are 252,139.
In addition to more patients, some areas of the state have no dispensaries, including several rural areas in Northwestern and Western Ohio. In addition, some areas in southeastern Ohio only have one dispensary across several counties.
A 2020 study found that 20% of Ohio patients traveled more than 30 miles to reach a dispensary.

Geographic distribution​

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy divided the state into 31 dispensary districts to ensure that dispensaries aren’t concentrated in large cities. Since the medical marijuana customers are patients, including some with severe and terminal illnesses who may not be physically able to travel long distances, close access is a priority in the program.
The following Northeast Ohio counties will see more dispensaries under the planned license expansion:
-Cuyahoga County has its own dispensary district with six dispensaries: Amplify in Cleveland Heights, The Botanist in Cleveland, RISE in Cleveland, two RISE dispensaries in Lakewood and Terrasana in Garfield Heights. Under the new expansion plan, the Board of Pharmacy plans to add another six licenses, for a total of 12.
-Summit County also comprises its own district. Currently, it has three dispensaries. The board plans to add two more, for a total of five.
-Lake, Portage and Geauga counties make up a dispensary district, currently with two dispensaries. The new plan would expand three more licenses for a total of five.
-Lorain, Medina, Wayne and Holmes counties make up a dispensary district with two dispensaries. Under the plan, the state would allow two more licenses for a total of four.



Elsewhere in Ohio:
-Franklin County, also its own dispensary district, currently has six dispensaries. It’ll get another nine under the plan, for a total of 15.
-Hamilton County, a single dispensary district, currently has three dispensaries. It’ll get eight more, for a total of 11.
In a document explaining the license expansion, the Board of Pharmacy said it looked at registered patients’ cities of residence last year. In each dispensary district, it considered the number of current dispensaries and patients who live in the district. Its goal is to decrease the number of registered patients per dispensary in each district to below 1,200.

Timeline​

In November, the Board of Pharmacy received 1,400 applications for new dispensaries, said Sheridan, the pharmacy board’s director of medical marijuana operations. The Ohio Lottery conducted a drawing to determine which companies would receive provisional dispensary licenses.
These days, the Board of Pharmacy staff is reviewing and evaluating the winners to make sure they’re compliant with Ohio medical marijuana law and regulations, he said.
This is different than the first round of dispensary licenses, when the Board of Pharmacy employees reviewed each application by scoring points to it based on company ownership financing and other information. However, numerous companies thought that process was too subjective, resulting in litigation across Ohio. The litigation delayed the opening of dispensaries in Ohio by several months.
The names of companies that the Ohio Lottery drew can be found here. The order for which a name was drawn in each district shows the order in which it could get a license.
However, just because a company’s name was drawn and at the top of the list doesn’t mean it automatically gets a provisional license. State officials want to ensure their applications demonstrate they could lawfully run their businesses. If a company can’t comply with state laws and regulations, then Board of Pharmacy staff turn to the next name on the list in each dispensary district, said Kylynne Johnson, a spokeswoman at the Board of Pharmacy.
Companies that receive a provisional license will be allowed to build out their space. Then they must undergo inspections by state regulators, who are looking at advertising, security cameras and other compliance. Once they pass, the Board of Pharmacy gives them a certificate of operation, which allows them to open for business.
There is no deadline for when the board wants the new dispensaries open. Instead, the board aims to issue provisional dispensary licenses this spring “and is working on the review process as quickly as possible,” Johnson said.

Prices​

Many Ohio medical marijuana patients have complained about the price of products at dispensaries.
During the Thursday discussion at OSU’s law school, Republican state Sen. Stephen Huffman said that many Ohio medical marijuana patients travel to Michigan, which legalized recreational sales, where they can save money. He and other lawmakers would prefer the Ohio patients stay in the state.
The Ohio Medicinal Cannabis Industry Association has pushed back on the claims that Ohio product is overpriced compared to other states. From when the program first began, prices have decreased thanks to reliable harvests, processors and a growing number of dispensaries, it said.
The association recently released a study comparing Ohio’s prices to other states’. Michigan’s price per gram of plant material, at $4.22, is half of Ohio’s, at $9.50. Other states, however, had higher prices for a gram of flower, the study showed.
Prices will drop even more with the new dispensaries, said Matt Close, the association’s executive director.
“We look forward to the dispensaries opening, and we do believe that competition and economics will drive the prices down,” he said.
The association also said it’s crucial to increase patient access to dispensaries.
“We’ve got patients who are diving 45 minutes to an hour to get their medicine,” he said.

 

[momofthegoons]

Ohio Voters Will Need To Decide On Marijuana Legalization At Ballot As Legislature Stalls, Pro-Reform GOP Lawmaker Says​

If Ohio is going to legalize marijuana this year, it’s probably going to need to happen at the ballot, a GOP state lawmaker who is cosponsoring a legalization bill said last week.

At an event hosted by Ohio State University on Thursday, Rep. Ron Ferguson (R) expressed disappointment that the Republican-controlled legislature has declined to take action on cannabis reform and instead seems positioned to leave the issue up to voters if activists collect enough signature to qualify their legalization measure for the November ballot.

Ferguson said he would “like to see us have a legislative solution” and “really get accomplished within the statehouse”—but it’s apparent that leadership isn’t going to move on the issue, even after advocates turned in enough valid signatures earlier this year to trigger a legislative review of legalization.

“I’m fearful that the folks in the statehouse are looking at more of a five-year-and-beyond plan,” the lawmaker said, adding that if Ohio is going to see a policy change enacted in the near future, it will likely come in November if the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) ballot campaign is successful.

Marijuana Moment asked Ferguson about the apparent disconnect between the public and the legislature on cannabis policy, and he recognized that there’s a problem.

“I want to see our legislators be better,” he said. “I think that every bill that we have should get a good, solid, open hearing no matter how good or bad that it is so that, if it’s bad, we can stay away from it. If it’s good, we can embrace it.”

But while the legislature has options this session beyond the activist-driven initiative—the bill Ferguson introduced alongside Rep. Jamie Callender (R), as well as another legalization proposal from Reps. Casey Weinstein (D) and Terrence Upchurch (D), for example—it doesn’t appear likely that they will even receive hearings.

Ferguson said that the “nice thing” about enacting reform legislatively is that “if we don’t exactly get it right,” lawmakers are more easily able to revise policies. It’s significantly more challenging to make changes to a voter-approved ballot measure, Ferguson said.

But where things stand—with Senate President Matt Huffman (R) and other key lawmakers dismissing the idea of ending prohibition through the legislature—reform supporters are apparently going to need to take things into their own hands. And activists are ready to meet that demand.

CTRMLA submitted more than the required 132,887 signatures to the state in January to prompt a legislative review of legalization. Lawmakers were given four months to take the issue into consideration, and that window is quickly closing. After the four months expire, activists are geared up and ready to collect another 132,887 signatures to put their legalization initiative before voters.

A recent poll found that a slim majority of Ohio voters would support marijuana legalization at the ballot.

The measure that lawmakers were asked to consider would legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for adults 21 and older, and they could also have up to 15 grams of marijuana concentrates. Individuals could grow up to six plants for personal use, with a maximum 12 plants per household.

A 10 percent sales tax would be imposed on cannabis sales, with revenue being divided up to support social equity and jobs programs (36 percent), localities that allow adult-use marijuana enterprises to operate in their area (36 percent), education and substance misuse programs (25 percent) and administrative costs of implementing the system (three percent).

A Division of Cannabis Control would be established under the state Department of Commerce. It would have authority to “license, regulate, investigate, and penalize adult use cannabis operators, adult use testing laboratories, and individuals required to be licensed.”

The measure gives current medical cannabis businesses a head start in the recreational market. Regulators would need to begin issuing adult-use licenses to qualified applicants who operate existing medical operations within nine months of enactment.

The division would also be required to issue 40 recreational cultivator licenses and 50 adult-use retailer licenses “with a preference to applications who are participants under the cannabis social equity and jobs program.” And it would authorize regulators to issue additional licenses for the recreational market two years after the first operator is approved.

Individual municipalities would be able to opt out of allowing new recreational cannabis companies from opening in their area, but they could not block existing medical marijuana firms even if they want to add co-located adult-use operations. Employers could also maintain policies prohibiting workers from consuming cannabis for adult use.

Further, regulators would be required to “enter into an agreement with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services” to provide “cannabis addiction services,” which would involve “education and treatment for individuals with addiction issues related to cannabis or other controlled substances including opioids.”

With respect to social equity, some advocates are concerned about the lack of specific language on automatic expungements to clear the records of people with convictions for offenses that would be made legal under the legislation. That said, the measure does include a provision requiring regulators to “study and fund” criminal justice reform initiatives including expungements.

Ohio voters rejected a 2015 legalization initiative that faced criticism from many reform advocates because of an oligopolistic model that would’ve granted exclusive control over cannabis production to the very funders who paid to put the measure on the ballot.

Activists suspended a subsequent campaign to place a legalization measure on the 2020 ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, Ferguson’s bill would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 50 grams of cannabis. They could also grow up to six plants, only three of which could be mature, for personal use.

Gifting up to 25 grams of marijuana between adult consumers without remuneration would also be permitted.

Adult-use cannabis products would be taxed at 10 percent. After covering administrative costs, tax revenue would be distributed as follows: 50 percent to the state general fund, 25 percent to combat illicit drug trafficking and 25 percent for substance misuse treatment programs.

The state Department of Commerce would be responsible for regulating the new adult-use marijuana and existing medical cannabis program and issuing business licenses through a new Division of Marijuana Control.

Regulators would be limited to approving one retail cannabis dispensary license per 60,000 residents in the state up until January 1, 2027. After that point, the department would would be required to review the program on “at least a biennial basis” to see if more licensees are needed.

The legislation does not contain specific provisions to promote social equity by expunging prior cannabis convictions or prioritizing licensing for communities most impacted under prohibition. That’s despite Callender saying in October that there would be a pathway for expungements “for folks that have prior convictions that would be not illegal after the passage of this bill.”

There are also local reform efforts underway in Ohio for 2022.

After voters in seven cities approved ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana possessionduring last November’s election—which builds on a slew of previous local reforms in the state—campaigns are now targeting several other jurisdictions across the state.

Ohio marijuana activists already successfully proved that they turned in enough valid signatures to put a local decriminalization initiative before Kent voters after having missed the 2021 ballot due to a verification error on the part of county officials. That measure is now expected to go before voters this November.

 

[Baron23]

Ohio Will Not Vote On Marijuana This November, But Lawsuit Settlement Puts Legalization Activists On Path For 2023​

An initiative to legalize marijuana will not appear on Ohio’s November ballot, the campaign behind the measure announced on Friday. But activists did reach a settlement with state officials in a legal challenge that will give them a chance to hit the ground running in 2023.

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CTRMLA) filed a lawsuit last month seeking declaratory judgement amid concerns that they might be challenged over the timing of the group’s initial signature submission for the reform measure.

But while activists had hoped the court would grant relief to enable them to collect additional signatures for ballot placement this year, they instead reached a compromise with the secretary of state and legislative leaders that puts them on a path to bring the reform measure before voters in 2023.

The process to qualify this measure for the ballot has been complicated, so here’s some background:

Advocates first needed to turn in a first batch of at least 132,887 valid signatures to the state to initiate a process whereby lawmakers would then have four months to consider the proposal and decide whether to act on it. They did that, but the legislature declined to move on reform.

Without legislative action after four months, the campaign would then need to submit another 132,887 signatures to place the issue on the ballot.

That’s what they were prepared to do, until the campaign was made aware of certain conversations among legislative officials and the attorney general’s office about whether the state Constitution would permit ballot placement considering the timeline for the initial signature turn-in and certification by the secretary of state.

It came down to a question of whether the activist-led initiative needed to be submitted and certified within ten days of the start of the legislative session.

In an ideal world for advocates, the court considering their lawsuit would have decided that the initial submission fell within the appropriate timeline and allowed them to begin the second round of signature gathering. Short of that, however, the campaign included in its legal challenge an alternative option whereby the first 132,887 signatures they turned in would be resubmitted at the start of the 2023 legislative session, prompting another four month window for lawmakers to consider advancing the reform.

The state and activists settled on that option, meaning the campaign will be set up to start collecting a second round for ballot placement if lawmakers don’t act again—instead of having to start the whole process all over again.

“The most important thing for us was preserving an opportunity for Ohio voters to decide this issue,” Tom Haren of CTRMLA said in a press release on Friday. “We are delighted to have reached this settlement, which has preserved our initial signatures, provided the General Assembly with a second opportunity to consider the proposed statute, and established a clear path to ballot access in 2023.

“To be certain: we aren’t going anywhere and are undeterred in our goal to legalize cannabis for all adults in Ohio,” he said.

Meanwhile, a pair of Ohio Democratic lawmakers recently filed a bill to legalize marijuana that directly mirrors the proposed initiative that activists are pursuing, but it is not expected to advance in the legislature.

Reps. Casey Weinstein (D) and Terrence Upchurch (D) are sponsoring the legislation, which is virtually identical to the CTRMLA citizen initiative. The lawmakers announced the plan on the unofficial cannabis holiday 4/20.

 

[momofthegoons]

Ohio Voters In Seven More Cities Will Decide On Marijuana Decriminalization At The Ballot This November​

Ohio voters in at least seven cities will get a chance to join many of their neighboring jurisdictions in enacting local marijuana decriminalization at the ballot this November.

Activists targeted more than a dozen cities for this year’s election, collecting signatures to place cannabis reform initiatives on local ballots. The Sensible Movement said in a blog post on Monday that they and NORML Appalachia of Ohio secured enough petitions to put the issue before voters in seven cities.

Both groups have organized efforts to locally decriminalize marijuana across the state for the better part of the last decade. To date, the reform has been enacted at the ballot in more than two dozen Ohio localities.



This year, voters will decide on decriminalization in Corning, Helena, Hemlock, Kent, Laurelville, Rushville and Shawnee. Local officials certified petitions for some of those jurisdictions before summer, with others being finalized more recently.

Voters in seven other cities approved ballot measures to decriminalize marijuana possession during last November’s election, building on a slew of previous local reforms in the state.

Prior to that election, more than 20 jurisdictions across the state had already adopted local statues effectively decriminalizing possession—some of which have been passed by voter initiatives while others were adopted by city councils in major cities like Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland.

Ohio isn’t the only state where activists have worked to give localities a say in cannabis policy at the ballot this year.

Advocates have worked to place local decriminalization ordinances on the ballot in cities across West Virginia and Texas, for example.

Wisconsin voters in at least half a dozen cities and counties will also be asked on November’s ballot whether they support legalizing, taxing and regulating cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol. Those Wisconsin advisory questions will be non-binding, however, and are intended to take the temperature of voters and send a message to lawmakers about where their constituents stand.

Meanwhile, an effort to put adult-use legalization on the statewide ballot in Ohio fizzled out this year, but the campaign did secure a procedural legal win that will allow them to hit the ground running for a planned 2023 reform initiative.

In the legislature, a pair of Ohio Democratic lawmakers—Reps. Casey Weinstein (D) and Terrence Upchurch (D)—filed a bill to legalize marijuana that directly mirrored the proposed measure that activists were pursuing, but it didn’t advance in the legislature.

Weinstein and Upchurch filed a separate legalization bill—the first in state history—last summer that also failed to move.

Meanwhile, a pair of Republican lawmakers also introduced legalization legislation this past session.

Ohio voters rejected a 2015 legalization initiative that faced criticism from many reform advocates because of an oligopolistic model that would’ve granted exclusive control over cannabis production to the very funders who paid to put the measure on the ballot.

Activists suspended a subsequent campaign to place a legalization measure on the 2020 ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A poll released earlier this year found that a slim majority of Ohio voters would support marijuana legalization at the ballot.

Here’s the status of other state drug policy measures that activists targeted for the November election:

North Dakota voters will have the chance to decide on marijuana legalization at the ballotthis November, the secretary of state’s office confirmed.

In neighboring South Dakota, a marijuana legalization initiative has again qualified for the ballot.

The Arkansas Supreme Court recently ordered the secretary of state’s office to certify a marijuana legalization initiative for the November ballot—but there’s a chance that the votes will not end up being counted, depending on the final outcome of a pending legal challenge.

Maryland elections officials have finalized the language for a marijuana legalization referendum that lawmakers placed on the November ballot, and have issued a formal summary of the reform proposal.

Missouri’s secretary of state certified that activists turned in more than enough signatures to qualify a marijuana legalization initiative for the November ballot.

Colorado voters will have the chance to decide on a historic ballot initiative this November to legalize psychedelics and create licensed psilocybin “healing centers” where people can use the substance for therapeutic purposes.

The Oklahoma attorney general revised the ballot title of a marijuana legalization initiative that activists hope will be certified to go before the state’s voters, making mostly technical changes that the campaign views as satisfactory.

Nebraska advocates recently submitted signatures for a pair of medical cannabis legalization initiatives. The campaign has faced several challenges along the way, including the loss of critical funding after a key donor passed away and a court battle of the state’s geographic requirements for ballot petitions.

Michigan activists announced in June that they will no longer be pursuing a statewide psychedelics legalization ballot initiative for this year’s election and will instead focus on qualifying the measure to go before voters in 2024.

The campaign behind an effort to decriminalize drugs and expand treatment and recovery services in Washington State said in June that it has halted its push to qualify an initiative for November’s ballot.

While Wyoming activists said earlier this year that they made solid progress in collecting signatures for a pair of ballot initiatives to decriminalize marijuana possession and legalize medical cannabis, they didn’t get enough to make the 2022 ballot deadline and will be aiming for 2024 while simultaneously pushing the legislature to advance reform even sooner.

In March, California activists announced that they came up short on collecting enough signatures to qualify a measure to legalize psilocybin mushrooms for the state’s November ballot, though they aren’t giving up on a future election cycle bid.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Ohio medical marijuana patients still unhappy with prices, though Michigan’s cannabis market may influence their expectations

For the first time in four years, an annual Ohio State University study found that more patients are satisfied than unsatisfied with the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program.

www.cleveland.com