(The Center Square) – A little more than a year after Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved recreational marijuana in Ohio, state lawmakers want to limit it and criminalize some aspects.
The bill would ban public smoking, driving while the driver or any passenger in the vehicle is using marijuana and reduce the number of home-grown plants allowed by half. It would also increase the tax from 10% to 15%.
None of the proposed new laws were part of the constitutional amendment passed by more than 57% of the voters.
Sen. Stephen Huffman, R-Tipp City, believes the changes are needed.
“In short, this bill is about government efficiency, consumer and child safety, and maintaining access to voter-approved adult-use marijuana,” Huffman recently told the Senate General Government Committee.
The same bill passed the Senate in the last General Session but failed to pass the House.
Legal sales of recreational marijuana began in the state in August 2024.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio believes the bill ignores the mandate from the voters.
“Ohio voters overwhelmingly supported Issue 2,” Gary Daniels, ACLU’s chief lobbyist, told the committee. “In doing so, they endorsed policies regarding adult-use cannabis. SB56 now proposes to roll back these changes, in whole or in part, in an affront to those same voters.”
The proposed legislation would cut in half the number of plants that can be grown in a home from 12 to six, lower the THC level from extracts from 90% to 70% and ban sharing between adults.
It would also require marijuana and paraphernalia to be transported in the back seat or trunk of a car.
Also, someone fired from their job because of marijuana use would not be eligible for unemployment.
The amendment also mandates some of the tax dollars be spent on social equity and jobs programs, but the bill eliminates that provision and reduces the money spent on mental health and addiction services.
“Finally, the ACLU of Ohio urges this committee to not rush this bill through the Senate,” Daniels said. “There is lots of interest in this issue across Ohio but many do not have an opportunity to testify today or have had a chance to fully review a 147-page bill with numerous provisions introduced less than one month ago. Your constituents deserve the chance to fully weigh on an important issue they passed so resoundingly before it is demolished by politicians.”
