The Senate General Government Committee heard 2+ hours of testimonies on proposed Ohio Senate bill 56 to revise the state’s cannabis laws today. The committee canceled day two of hearings tomorrow. Chair Sen. Kristina Roegner said at the end of today’s testimonies that the panel will reconvene to make further revisions to SB56 before taking it up again next week.
What revisions are expected?
The bill would have raised the excise tax on adult-use cannabis from 10 to 15 percent. The substitute bill approved Tuesday morning removed that provision, so the tax would remain at 10 percent if this bill were to be passed.
However, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) is proposing to double the 10 percent tax rate to 20 percent via the budget process, so that will be something advocates and industry need to keep their eyes on.
What patient rights remain at stake:
This bill still revises—but doesn’t eliminate —the home growing rights. adults would be able to grow only up to six plants for personal use rather than the current 12 per household. Initially, changes backed by Republicans last year would have eliminated home cultivation rights entirely for Ohio adults and criminalized all cannabis obtained anywhere other than a state-licensed retailer.
This bill outlaws the sharing of cannabis, even amongst spouses and households. Several testimonies noted that such a measure would be a wild overreach of the government’s authority and does not apply equivalently to our state’s alcohol laws.
Further concerns remain about another provision that would make smoking cannabis illegal in cars, for both drivers and passengers.
Ohio Host Communities and Industry Stakeholders Rights remain an stake:
Municipalities have concerns about the reallocation of tax money in this bill back to the general fund. This bill seeks to eliminate the Host Community Fund, which would direct 36 percent of revenue from cannabis taxes to the communities who welcomed dispensaries. Numerous business deals between operators and governments were built upon this promise that host communities would reap the benefit of their investments, alluded Jason Wilson, owner at Tipp City’s Paragon Cannabis. This bill would undo that, potentially straining relationships between business leaders.
This bill still limits the number of dispensaries to 350, and now requires all licensed retailers to serve both adult-use consumers and medical cannabis patients. You may have noted we reported on the first adult-use only dispensaries to be licensed. Consume, the one we noted in our previous story, opted to apply for both license types in light of this proposed bill. They open this Thursday as dual-use, serving both patient cardholders and consumers.
A safety issue?
This bill would also decrease the THC concentrate content cap from 90 percent to 70 percent. Several testimonies noted today that this anomaly isn’t necessary, and will drive Ohioans to the Michigan and illicit markets where such a cap doesn’t exist.
One industry testimony noted that some Michigan licensees have been accused of importing their concentrates from China and potentially posing other safety risks to Ohioans who need to go outside the state to seek higher concentrations to treat ailments like cancer and post-surgical pain. A 90 percent cap, with Ohio’s medical program’s testing standards, will keep patients and consumers here in stste to buy their products where they can be sure the products been grown and processed in Ohio and thoroughly tested for safety, argued those opposed to SB56 today.
MedicateOH will update the community about upcoming hearings on SB56 on our social channels, so be sure to follow us.
Green Vibes: Wednesday Feb. 19th 8-11 p.m.
MedicateOH will present our Green Vibes education event in Oakley on Wednesday February 19th from 8-11 pm. We’ll have a presentation from Matthew Hyde of Civics Cannabis and a discussion about the proposed changes to law. The event is free and the community over 21 is welcome to attend.
Lobby Day
On March 20th, cannabis advocates will have an opportunity to meet directly with legislators to discuss their specific objections to SB56 and other cannabis-related issues.
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[…] previously reported on SB 56 when it was introduced and when it was heard last week. Advocates who opposed SB 56 last week flooded the hearing floor with more than 2 hours of […]