Ohio GOP Senate President Pushes For Preemptive Cannabis Law Changes Days Before Legalization Takes Effect

With just days to go before Ohio's recreational marijuana law takes effect, GOP lawmakers were scrambling to make changes to the legislation. President of the Ohio Senate Matt Huffman announced his chamber would begin amending the legislation next week.

The move comes amidst ongoing discussions between GOP legislative leaders and Gov. Mike DeWine regarding revisions to the recently approved cannabis initiative, known as Issue 2. 

While no full repeal of the law has been proposed, two bills to modify Issue 2 have been introduced by House Republicans.

Huffman's proposed amendments focus on three main areas: tax revenue distribution, youth prevention and impaired driving. Huffman said he planned to attach the amendments to a separate House-passed bill in the Senate General Government Committee on Monday. 

The amended legislation would then be advanced to the Senate floor for a vote on Wednesday, one day before the Dec. 7 deadline.

“It would be better for people going forward to know what the law is than people begin spending money or taking actions and then the law changes six months from now or 90 days, you know, a year from now,” Huffman told NBC4.

If passed, the amendments would require a two-thirds majority vote due to the inclusion of an emergency clause, which would allow the law to take effect immediately upon signing by Gov. DeWine who has spearheaded the push to alter Issue 2.

Dems Respond: As the Republican leadership picks and chooses what they want to alter in the legalization initiative, they’re leaving out the 57% of Ohioans who voted for it, said state Rep. Casey Weinstein (D). 

“Any discussions about changes to Issue 2 should be done with a broad group of stakeholders who have earned the right to be at the table,” Weinstein told Benzinga. “Ohio voters sent a resounding message that this is the law they want, so it's a slap in the face to them to undercut their will behind closed doors.”

Cracks In GOP: House Speaker Jason Stephens (R) expressed a more cautious approach, advocating for further consideration of the amendments. He argued certain changes, such as those related to taxes and advertising, were not urgent given that regulators still needed time to develop licensing rules. 

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s marijuana or soybeans or oil, there are certain rules for alcohol, tobacco that these industries have established over decades. And trying to start from scratch is not the easiest thing to do,” Stephens said.

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