A group of cannabis advocates in Ohio has launched efforts to “regulate marijuana like alcohol” in the Buckeye State after the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the campaign’s push to place adult-use legalization on the state’s 2020 ballot. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted summary language of an initiated statute to legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office last week and will find out whether the language is approved by Aug. 5. The proposed law would legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, testing, and sales to adults 21 and older, as well as allow adults to grow six plants at home for personal use, with a maximum of 12 plants per household. The proposal would levy a 10% tax on adult-use cannabis sales, on top of regular state and local sales taxes. Also, the proposal allows Ohio’s existing medical cannabis operators to expand their cultivation footprint and open additional dispensaries to serve the adult-use market. Level I cultivators would receive three adult-use dispensary licenses, Level II cultivators would receive one adult-use dispensary license, and each medical cannabis dispensary that is not vertically integrated with cultivation operations would also receive one adult-use retail license.
Posted Melissa Schiller, Cannabis Business Times, 08/03/2021 17:04:00