As is typical, when the decision comes to a vote, marijuana becomes legally available for recreational use. Such is the case in Ohio as of Tuesday, November 7th.
There are now 24 states in the country where you are free to smoke weed in the comfort of your home.
On December 7th in Ohio, you will be able to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and grow up to six plants. Officials have 9 months to put together rules and regulations for marijuana retail licenses.
Almost immediately, there was an airing of disappointment. An article at The Columbus Dispatch details how hours after the vote became clear, the Senate President and House speaker in Ohio said they would make changes to the provision before it went into effect.
“This statute was written by the marijuana industry and should not be treated as a cash grab for their cash crop at the expense of a state trying to emerge from the opioid epidemic. The General Assembly may consider amending the statute to clarify the questionable language regarding limits for THC and tax rates as well as other parts of the statute,” said Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman.
The Governor is also against this referendum, and in a surprisingly uncool move, Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy stated during the presidential debate tonight that he voted no on the question.
“I think it’s an abandonment of the rule of law when you have one set of rules at the federal level but state laws that contradict federal law. I don’t think that helps our commitment to the rule of law. I think it creates a lot of confusion in this country.”
He also had an issue with the equity that some of the taxes would be funneled towards.
So it may not be a finished deal in the state of Ohio until we make it to the morning of December 7th.
Read the original stories at Marijuana Moment and the Columbus Dispatch.
