Rep. Stewart Introduces Bill Updating Ohio's Marijuana Laws
COLUMBUS – State Representative Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) today introduced legislation that updates Ohio’s marijuana laws and addresses the issue of intoxicating hemp. House Bill 160 preserves the legal adult-use marijuana provisions approved by voters in Issue 2 in 2023, while also adding needed protections for Ohio’s children.
“House Bill 160 respects the will of the voters by preserving the core, adult-use marijuana features of Issue 2 while adding reasonable protections for Ohio children and addressing intoxicating hemp products that violate the spirit of that ballot initiative,” said Rep. Stewart.
Clarifying Ohio’s Marijuana Law
House Bill 160 includes various provisions that clarify the law as it relates to adult use of marijuana including:
- Combining the marijuana adult use and medicinal use provisions in the same section of the Ohio Revised Code
- Clarifying the adult personal use of marijuana on residential parcels, rather than just inside a residence
- Permitting the sale of pre-rolled products
- Maintaining home-grow allowances in current law but prohibiting the cultivation of home-grown marijuana in halfway homes and recovery houses
- Eliminating the cannabis social equity and jobs fund and program
Promoting Public Safety
House Bill 160 includes various provisions that work to protect children and promote public safety including:
- Limiting the sale of intoxicating hemp products to occur only in licensed dispensaries
- Enhancing protections to ensure adult-use products do not provide false or misleading advertising or target products toward children
- Reducing THC potency levels for marijuana to 70% for extracts as other legalization states have done, while maintaining the 35% threshold for plant material
- Continuing to permit an employer to prohibit use of marijuana and make appropriate employment actions based on an employee’s use, possession, or distribution of marijuana
The bill also permits a person who was convicted of – or pled guilty to – a marijuana possession offense involving amounts now legal to possess under the law to have their conviction or guilty plea expunged.
Additionally, House Bill 160 maintains the current tax rate of 10% on adult use marijuana; however, the bill requires tax receipts to be disbursed to the General Revenue Fund (GRF), with 20% of receipts dedicated for the first four years to local governments that permit adult use dispensaries to operate within their jurisdiction.
House Bill 160 will now be vetted through the committee process.