Ohio passed recreational cannabis over a 6 months ago and yet here we are over 30 days before the law allegedly will take effect and we still have no idea what the new recreational cannabis program is going to look like here in Ohio. Why exactly is there so much confusion, why is it so bad for Ohioans and really just emblematic of what is wrong with our country? To answer that fairly, we first have to understand the very procedure that allowed Ohioans to finally have their collective voices heard about recreational cannabis.
The procedure that the group Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol used to get recreational cannabis on the ballot in November had one draw back, that even if passed the Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives had the power to rewrite/legislate the bill and even outright reject it if they wanted to. The Senate and House Republicans were very vocal about repealing the measure if it passed, but thanks to the overwhelming support, Issue 2 passed by a sizeable margin.
The day after the measure passed, the Democrats were quite clear that they should pass the measure exactly how it was but the Republicans voiced displeasure over several of the provisions. Most notably being the right for people to grow cannabis at home, how tax dollars were spent, social equity programs, just to name a few. However, after word got out that they were going to gut the most popular portions of the bill, politician’s offices were inundated with phone calls from constituents and they settled on a compromise bill.
So the power of the people worked in this case but this setup the current problem that we are in which is the House Republicans hate the Senate Republicans even more than they hate Democrats and they are not going to agree to this compromise bill. The Democrats are sticking to their guns and saying it has to pass 100% as is and won’t budge. And since Republicans have a super majority in the state government, they don’t have to work with Democrats so what they think doesn’t matter.
There are many sticking points such as home grow rights, plant limits, tax dollars, social equity programs, etc. but the one that is getting the least attention but is perhaps the biggest issue is the resulting impasse has handed the existing medical industry in Ohio another monopoly for at least 2 more years. Since 2017, the medical cannabis industry was able to get the state licensing board to not approve any new applicants for cultivation facility or a dispensary. Which is particular screwed up because 85% of the licensed entities in Ohio are out of state MSOs so our state officials who are supposed to put the interests of their own people first have continually handed an entire industry to out of state money and business interests. So instead of allowing Ohio citizens to start a business in the recreational cannabis industry that its own citizens helped vote into law, they keep them on the outside looking in.
So, in other words, the industry that was providing way over priced mids that forced people to drive to Michigan and pushed them to the black market will get to continue for at least 2 more years and even then its not a guarantee that new people will be allowed in. This was allowed to happen because our elected officials are choosing to side with out of state corporations that give them money and they are not even pretending to lie anymore…they just don’t feel like they have to serve the people anymore. This is the epitome of what is wrong with this country and because its the cannabis industry nobody seems to care but everyone should because its just a matter of time before it will be this blatant everywhere whether it be taxes, wars, programs, etc.
Call To Action:
We can still do something about it! While the Ohio Cannabis Control Board is going through with the law as it is currently passed, they still would have to make changes to their regulations if the elected officials in the state house pass a bill that all sides can get behind. So we need to email and message our state officials and let them know that our state is not for sale and if they do not start putting Ohioans first then in November they are going to have a tough time getting elected. What changes should we ask them to make?
1.) Do not touch the home grow rights and leave that as is
2.) Break-up the out of state MSO monopoly and allow new applicants to apply for licenses
What changes are you going to tell them to make or what is important you to?